Bioactive Compounds Extracted from Edible Legumes Not Suitable for Marketing—A Source of Functional Ingredients

Abstract

Agroindustry generates different types of waste every year, among which is food suitable for human consumption but without commercial value since it does not meet strict marketing parameters. In this sense, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that food losses reach 1300 million tons, 44% corresponding to fruits and vegetables. In addition, inadequate waste management becomes a problem of economic profitability and environmental sustainability. The nutritional characterization of plant matrices as well as their bioactive properties allows the design of alternative strategies for the recovery of bioactive waste molecules and their subsequent use, incorporating them back into the food chain and promoting a circular economy. Current literature affirms that legumes are rich in phenolic compounds that are recognized for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial capacity, among others, and their potential applications in food preservation and consumer health. In this study, five edible legumes not suitable for marketing—since they do not meet quality standards—were studied for their protein content (25.11–50.96%), total sugars (17.46–57.20%), total phenolic compounds (9.62–32.74 mg GAE/g sample) and minerals composition. Samples came from different geographical areas, namely: Medicago spp. (France), Phaseolus vulgaris (Spain and Argentina), Cicer arietinum (Spain), Lens culinaris (Spain) and Glycine max (United States, France and China). The nutritional characterization and quantification of the bioactive compounds of these not-suitable species reveals the convenience of their valorization in the formulation of nutraceuticals, functional foods, cosmetics or drugs, due to their potential as oxidative stress controllers, also avoiding the generation of large food waste.