The growing, processing and preparation of fruits & vegetables result in the production of varying degree of waste material. However, this Waste product, which is thrown into the environment, is rich in valuable compounds. They are novel, natural and economic sources of flavoring, colorants, protein, dietary fiber, antimicrobial and antioxidants, which can be used in the food industry as a source of natural food additives Thus, new aspects concerning the use of these by-products for further exploitation on the production of food additives or supplements with high nutritional value have gained increasing interest because these are high-value products and their recovery may be economically attractive. Different studies have shown that free radicals present in the human organs cause oxidative damage to various molecules, such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, and are thus involved in the initiation phase of the degenerative diseases. Phenolic and other phytochemical antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables are capable of neutralizing free radicals and may play a major role in the prevention of certain diseases like cardiovascular diseases, improves nutritional absorption in body.
Depending
on plant species,
variety and tissue, high levels of health protecting antioxidants, such as vitaminC and E, phenolic compounds including phenyl propanoids and flavonoids, and or carotenoids
such as lycopene can be found. The waste materials such as peels, seeds and
stones produced by the fruit and vegetable processing can be successfully used as
a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants. Numerous studies have provided
evidence for decreased risk of some chronic diseases e.g., some types of
cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders with balanced intake of
supplements (organic fruits and vegetable), teas, spices and other plant-based
foods. The most abundant by-products of minimal
processing of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable are peel and seed and those are reported
to contain high amounts of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and
antimicrobial properties (Muthuswamy et al., 2008)
Comments
Post a Comment