Abstract
Sweet cherries are processed in various ways, leading to significant amounts of underutilized by-products that can potentially be used as a source of bioactive compounds, including antioxidants. The present study focuses on identifying ways to exploit bioactive compounds from sweet cherry skins, namely the extraction, microencapsulation, and functionalizing of some food product to obtain added value. The anthocyanins from skins were extracted and encapsulated in a combination of whey proteins isolate and chitosan by freeze-drying, with an encapsulation efficiency of 77.68 ± 2.57%. The powder showed a satisfactory content in polyphenols, of which anthocyanins content was 14.48 ± 1.17 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g dry weight (D.W.) and antioxidant activity of 85.37 ± 1.18 µM Trolox/100 g D.W. The powder was morphologically analyzed, revealing the presence of coacervates, ranging in size from 12–54 μm, forming large spheresomes (up to 200 μm). The powder was used as a functional ingredient to develop two value-added food products, namely yoghurt and marshmallows. The powder was tested for its prebiotic effect on L. casei 431® in the yoghurt samples during 21 days at 4 °C, when a decrease in viability was found, up to 6 log CFU·g−1. The anthocyanins and antioxidant activity decreased in yoghurt and increased in marshmallows during storage time. The obtained results support the potential use of extracts from underutilized sources in the development of functional ingredients and value-added food products.
Highlights
The processing of fruits and vegetables in order to extract oils, juices and sugars results in significant amount of skins, stems and seeds. These by-products are disposed of in the environment, which raises a number of serious problems due to their poor biological stability, significant nutritional value, high concentration of organic compounds, high water activity, poor oxidative stability and optimum enzymatic activity [1]
Considering the health benefits of anthocyanins and in our continued quest to find new edible sources with functional properties, the aim of this study was to exploit the phytochemicals from sweet cherries skins through extraction and microencapsulation in whey proteins isolates and chitosan by freeze-drying, in order to obtain functional, food-grade ingredients
The microparticles showed variable dimensions, ranging from 12 μm to 54 μm, which aggregated into large spherosomes up to 190 μm
Summary
The processing of fruits and vegetables in order to extract oils, juices and sugars results in significant amount of skins, stems and seeds. These by-products are disposed of in the environment, which raises a number of serious problems due to their poor biological stability, significant nutritional value, high concentration of organic compounds, high water activity, poor oxidative stability and optimum enzymatic activity [1]. The use of these by-products can bring economic and environmental benefits as they are considered of no commercial value and rich in compounds with a potentially positive effect for human health.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
