Tropical fruits represent one of the most important crops in the world. The continuously growing global market for the main tropical fruits is currently estimated at 84 million tons, of which ...approximately half is lost or wasted throughout the whole processing chain. Developing novel processes for the conversion of these byproducts into value‐added products could provide a viable way to manage this waste problem, aiming at the same time to create a sustainable economic growth within a bio‐economy perspective. Given the ever‐increasing concern about sustainability, complete valorization through a bio‐refinery approach, that is, zero waste concept, as well as the use of green techniques is therefore of utmost importance. This paper aims to report the status on the valorization of tropical fruit byproducts within a bio‐refinery frame, via the application of traditional methodologies, and with specific attention to the extraction of phenolics and carotenoids as bioactive compounds. The different types of byproducts, and their content of bioactives is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the lesser‐known tropical fruits. Moreover, the bioactivity of the different types of extracts and their possible application as a resource for different sectors (food, pharmaceutical, and environmental sciences) is discussed. Consequently, this review presents the concepts of tropical fruit biorefineries, and the potential applications of the isolated fractions.
Banana passionfruit is an edible fruit widespread in the Andean highlands of Colombia and Ecuador, which has a high content of carotenoids. The microencapsulation process is used to improve the ...stability of this bioactive compound. The encapsulation agents, core/wall material ratio, and operational parameters influence the efficiency of the process. In this study, Maltodextrin (MD) and Gum Arabic (GA) were used as wall materials to assess the influence of inlet temperature and different MD:GA and core/encapsulating material (Core:EM) ratios on moisture, water activity, color, particle size, process yield (PY), encapsulation efficiency (EE), and total carotenoid content (TCC) of microencapsulated banana passionfruit pulp (MBP) by spray-drying. The lowest moisture (1.12 ± 0.01%) of MBP was at a temperature of 150 °C; the water activity (Aw) for all samples was less than 0.4, and the Hue angle indicated a coloration between orange and yellow. The increase in temperature produced an increase in the particle size. However, the MBP showed a uniform particle diameter (1.25 ± 0.21 μm). The treatment T2A1B2 (
T
= 150 °C, Core:EM = 1:1, MD:GA = 4:6) showed the highest EE (50.79 ± 0.29%) and the best PY (60.84 ± 0.07%). The stability of MBP was carried out at temperatures of 4, 20, and 40 °C. The predicted shelf life can be up to 215 days on storage at 4 °C. The encapsulation improved the stability of TCC in banana passionfruit pulp. Therefore, the MBP can be considered as a potential ingredient for use in functional beverages.
Mango peel is gaining recognition for its nutritional and functional value. This by-product shows variable composition depending on different factors such as variety, stage maturity, and geographic ...site of production. This work sought to evaluate mango peel composition, bioactive compound content, antioxidant activity, and carotenoid and phenolic profiles for the three most commercial varieties of the equatorial region using UV–Vis spectroscopy, HPLC, and UPLC. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between all varieties regarding the content of bioactive compounds. Total phenolic, flavonoid, and carotenoid content ranged from 2930 to 6624 mg GAE/100 g, 502–795 mg CE/100 g, and 3.7–5.7 mg/100 g, respectively. A high positive correlation (r = 0.961) between the phenolic content and ABTS radical-scavenging activity was found for all samples. β-Carotene and lutein were identified and quantified, the samples of cvs. Haden and Kent showed the highest β-carotene content (8 mg/100 g). Gallic acid and rutin were identified in all samples, whereas mangiferin had the highest amount (314 mg/100 g) in cv. Tommy Atkins. The results suggest that mango peel has bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant properties, which can be used as functional ingredients in different industrial products.
Display omitted
•Ecuadorian mango peel can serve as an alternative source for bioactive compounds.•The bioactive compound content of mango peel offers remarkable antioxidant activity.•The major carotenoids present in all mango peel samples were β-carotene and lutein.•Rutin was the unique phenol identified and quantified in all mango peel samples.•Mangiferin content was higher in Tommy Atkins mango peel than in other varieties.
•Cumulative color simulations showed the change towards kernel surface brown color•Hill equation described the internal porosity created in microwave heating-toasting•The 47 µm milling fraction ...raised with increasing microwave heating-toasting times•Sudden jumps in oscillatory stress indicated the onset temperatures on X-axes•Elastic/viscous modulus ratio reflects the microwave heating-toasting time effect
The three primary floury and sweet maize types, with specialty kernels to make entire ready-to-eat maize, and packed in sealable paper envelopes, were the experimental units (150 g of raw kernels) to model the effect of the microwave heating-toasting (2450 MHz microwave oven, 492 W, times 0, 78, 156, 234, 312, and 390 s) on time-related variables and characterize the non-isothermal rheological properties. Pauses every 60 s for a rapid manual shaking compensated for non-uniformity of microwave volumetric heating. Surface color difference (ΔE*), internal porosity, milling average particle size, and flour hydration properties displayed curves adequately described by simple and nonlinear regression models. The milling particle size, hydration properties, and rheological parameters illustrated floury and sweet kernel differences ascribed to their proximal composition. Onset and peak temperatures depended on maize types and showed a little variation attributed to microwave heating-toasting times. The elastic/viscous modulus ratio increased in floury maize. It decreased in sweet maize, unveiling rheological differences associated with microwave heating-toasting time effect on the contrasting structure of floury and sweet specialty Andean maize kernels used for toasting.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to crises worldwide, affecting how anthropologists do research. The physical absence of ethnographers from their field-sites has made it impossible to conduct ...participant observation as historically practised. As a result, anthropologists have had to become methodologically creative, often turning to digital methods to mediate access to the held. These methods have modified ethnographic research, simultaneously opening up and limiting possibilities for engagement. This article explores the challenges of engaging with non-humans, namely spirit and forest beings, material things and 'data', by drawing comparatively on the authors' respective ethnographic fieldwork in Ecuador, Myanmar, Peru and Germany. Starting by discussing their respective engagements with their changing fields, they reflect on the possibilities and impossibilities of engaging with non-human interlocutors and the transformations they experienced in their relationships with human research partners. The crises related to SARS-CoV-2 and the authors' respective ways of dealing with them have transformed their field-sites and how they access them, making them more reliant on their research partners. The authors conclude that, while engaging with non-humans living in distant places is, in some cases, possible through human mediation, this mediation changes the forms of engagement.
The development of early civilizations was greatly associated with populations’ ability to exploit natural resources. The development of methods for food preservation was one of the pillars for the ...economy of early societies. In Ecuador, food fermentation significantly contributed to social advances and fermented foods were considered exclusive to the elite or for religious ceremonies. With the advancement of the scientific research on bioprocesses, together with the implementation of novel sequencing tools for the accurate identification of microorganisms, potential health benefits and the formation of flavor and aroma compounds in fermented foods are progressively being described. This review focuses on describing traditional fermented foods from Ecuador, including cacao and coffee as well as less popular fermented foods. It is important to provide new knowledge associated with nutritional and health benefits of the traditional fermented foods.
Starchy Andean crops are often underutilized by consumers, despite their nutritional properties. The starch digestibility of a food is an indicator of its nutritional quality, mainly to prevent ...cardiometabolic food-related diseases. Limited information on Andean crops' starch digestibility restricts nutritionists for designing adequate nutrition recommendations. This research evaluates the in-vitro starch digestibility of nine Andean crops flours and provides the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey about them among Ecuadorian nutritionists. The results were analyzed with a principal component analysis (PCA) using starch digestion characteristics (rapidly digested starch, RDS; slowly digested starch, SDS; resistant starch, RS; and estimated glycemic index, eGI). The findings showed that the studied crops could be divided into three groups: (1) Puca shungo potato with high RS, low RDS, SDS, and eGI. (2) Melloco, zarandaja, firiguero, and centenario with low RDS, SDS, eGI, and middle RS; (3) finally, quinoa, amaranth, maca, and arracacha with high RDS, SDS, low RS, and middle to high eGI. In addition, the KAP survey indicated that nutritionists lack knowledge about the starch digestibility of Andean crops, despite having positive attitudes toward recommending them. Our results would allow nutritionists to design healthy diet recommendations.
PDF
