Abstract
Pineapple is meanly commercially processed. However, it is a fruit that generates a high proportion of nonedible wastes, which are rich in antioxidant compounds and have a varied aromatic profile. These characteristics turn these by-products into potential agri-food waste that can be revalued and applied in different fields such as medical, pharmaceutical, or food applications. The aim of the present work was the characterization and extraction of the volatile compounds present in two pineapple by-products (peel and core) and the subsequent evaluation of their antioxidant capacity. For this purpose, the analysis of the aromatic profile of both by-products has been carried out using the headspace solid-phase microextraction technique coupled to gas chromatography with a mass spectrometry detector (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The optimization of the extraction conditions of the volatile compounds has been validated using a Box–Behnken experimental design. In addition, a quantitative analysis was carried out to determine the contents of two important volatiles in pineapple wastes, isopentyl, and ethyl acetate. Moreover, the estimation of the antioxidant capacity of the subproducts extracts was carried out using different methods All the antioxidant assays demonstrated that pineapple subproducts are rich in easily extractable antioxidants with possible applications in the food industry.
Highlights
Huang et al [34], for example, found the content of about 75 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) 100 g−1 fresh weight in the fruit which is only a little bit higher than the values obtained in the present study in the core and peel of pineapple
The resulting Total Phenolic Content (TPC) values were slightly lower in the peel compared to the core pineapple samples the antioxidant capacity obtained was fairly similar for both pineapple by-products and there were significant differences among samples
The values obtained in relation to the antioxidant assays confirmed that both pineapple wastes can be a source of antioxidant components, extracted and concentrated for different purposes such as an additive in food active packaging or as a natural component of the pharmaceutical industry
Summary
In recent years the pineapple market has grown significantly, reporting a clear increase in exports from 3 to 4M tons from 2016 to. Pineapple is one of the most appreciated tropical fruits in the world due to its nutritional and organoleptic properties. The pineapple cultivar, level of maturity, climatic conditions, and postharvest handling are factors that significantly impact the chemical and biochemical properties of pineapple [3]. Pineapple contains mainly carbohydrates and water, followed by dietary fiber, sugars, organic acids, vitamins (ascorbic acid, niacin, and thiamine), and minerals (mainly magnesium, manganese, and copper) pineapple residues contain significant quantities of antioxidant compounds which are known to have a beneficial effect on human health when fed. A recent study has proved that the ingestion of pineapple in rats lowered the hypercholesterolemia-induced cardiac lipid peroxidation risk and inflammation [4]
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