Chapter 11 - Applications of recovered bioactive compounds in food products

Abstract

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and olive pomace, the main by-products of oil mechanical extraction process, are a highly rich source of bioactive compounds that can be recovered and utilized in several sectors of human life, such as nutrition and feeding. The by-products correspond to a disposal cost for the oil industry and hence there is a global trend to develop protocols and technological innovations to turn by-products into high added-value products. The compounds recovered by OMWW, mainly represented by phenolic compounds, are used to formulate and produce new functional food and/or ingredients with biologically activities able to replace food additives of synthetic origin. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities are significant properties of polyphenols that should be exploited to valorize the olive oil by-product with positive impact on environment and health benefits. The phenols obtained from OMWW can exert the antimicrobial action with at least two modes of action corresponding to as many objectives. Antagonism versus some potentially pathogenic species (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and so on) but also microbial selection toward those microbial cells that cause the alteration or degradation of foods. In the near future, the possibility of totally or partially replacing chemical preservatives employed today with natural additives derived from the by-products of the food industry will be increased. Not least, in terms of interest, is the possibility of integrating the feed formula of livestock for producing meat and milk with phenols and other related compounds with the purpose of enrichment of the derivative products (fresh meat and milk, meat and milk products) with antioxidant and antimicrobial substances.