Quercetin: A bioactive compound imparting cardiovascular and neuroprotective benefits: Scope for exploring fresh produce, their wastes, and by-products

Quercetin, a bioactive secondary metabolite, holds incredible importance in terms of bioactivities, which has been proved by in vivo and in vitro studies. The treatment of cardiovascular and neurological diseases by quercetin has been extensively investigated over the past decade. Quercetin is present naturally in appreciable amounts in fresh produce (fruits and vegetables). However, today, corresponding to the growing population and global demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, a paradigm shift and focus is laid towards exploring industrial food wastes and/or byproducts as a new resource to obtain bioactive compounds such as quercetin. Based on the available research reports over the last decade, quercetin has been suggested as a reliable therapeutic candidate for either treating or alleviating health issues, mainly those of cardiovascular and neurological diseases. In the present review, we have summarized some of the critical findings and hypotheses of quercetin from the available databases foreseeing its future use as a potential therapeutic agent to treat cardiovascular and neurological diseases. It is anticipated that this review will be a potential reference material for future research activities to be undertaken on quercetin obtained from fresh produce as well as their respective processing wastes/byproducts that rely on the circular concept.This review articles theme is based on the ongoing VALORTECH project (ERA-Chair in Food (By-)Products Valorisation Technologies), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No 810630

Valorization of food processing wastes and by-products for bioplastic production

The global plastic production is reaching new altitudes every year. Growing production of petroleum-based plastics has incurred in disposal issues raising the concerns of plastic pollution and impact to the environment. These issues have encouraged innovation and research activities in the field of bioplastics, offering alternatives for conventional plastics. In recent years, global bioplastic production has also witnessed tremendous growth and expansion. Some of the main drivers of this growth are innovative biopolymers such as Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). However, industrial expenses to produce bioplastics are much higher when compared to petroleum-derived plastics (e.g. industrial PHA production is estimated to be 5–10 times more expensive than petroleum-derived polymers). In this regard, globally many researchers have investigated for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternatives to produce plastics. One potential option to pursue would be to explore agri-food wastes and by-products for bioplastic production. This would not only reduce the volume of wastes and by-products, but also production costs incurred. This review paper provides an overview of bioplastics, including production methods and possibilities of industrial food waste valorization for bioplastic production.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 810630: ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorization Technologies of the Estonian University of Life Sciences (VALORTECH)

Extraction of carotenoids from pumpkin peel and pulp: Comparison between innovative green extraction technologies (ultrasonic and microwave-assisted extractions using corn oil)

Natural pigments improve aesthetic value as well as antioxidant potential of a food product. This study was designed to determine the effects of green extraction techniques on carotenoids, polyphenols and antioxidant activities of pulp and peel of two varieties of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima). Innovative green extractions (IGE; Ultrasound and Microwave-Assisted Extractions) synergised with corn oil (used as green solvent) were compared with conventional extraction (CE; hexane/isopropyl alcohol; 60:40, v/v). Results showed total carotenoids to be almost double on employing IGE (PM2-UAE-peel = 38.03 ± 4.21; PM4-UAE-peel = 33.78 ± 1.76 µg/g) when compared to conventional extraction (PM2-CE-peel = 19.21 ± 4.39; PM4-CE-peel = 16.21 ± 2.52 µg/g). Polyphenolic contents ranged between 510.69 ± 5.50 and 588.68 ± 7.26 mg GAE/100 g of extract in IGE, compared with conventional extracts (269.50 ± 2.17 to 318.46 ± 6.60 mg GAE/100 g) and percent inhibition of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) ranging between 88.32 ± 1.51 and 93.53 ± 0.30% in IGE when compared with conventional extraction (50.61 ± 1.44 to 57.79 ± 2.09%). Further, oxidative stability of carotenoids extracts from IGE (protection factor = 1.59 ± 0.01 to 1.81 ± 0.05) were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) than conventional extracts. Based on results, this study supports the use of innovative green extraction techniques to obtain bioactive pigments like carotenoids. It is anticipated that results generated will find potential applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industriesThis work is supported by VALORTECH project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 810630. In addition, funding received from Mobilitas Pluss ERA-Chair support (Grant no. MOBEC006 ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorisation Technologies of the Estonian University of Life Sciences) is also gratefully acknowledged

Review article: Current research trends in fruit and vegetables wastes and by-products management-Scope and opportunities in the Estonian context

Globally on an annual scale, considerable amounts of fruit and vegetables wastes (FVW) are generated in the agri-food industrial sector. Costs insured for safe disposal of FVW remains uneconomical and they can pose a serious environmental hazard if left untreated. However, FVW have high potential for reuse, recycle and recovery, which is an indication that there are productive, sustainable and affordable ways of reducing and tackling them at the industrial levels. Recent years have seen progressive innovative research on FVW management strategies, which has been developed with an idea of reducing wastes and fully exploiting its potential. Further, FVW represents a potential source of valuable compounds and bioactive ingredients. Today, there are many proposed innovative approaches for handling the FVW. These include reintroducing sub-standard fruit and vegetables (small sized or misshaped fruit and vegetable) in the market, reusing FVW for soil amendments, composting, or as an animal feed, and much more. In addition, the extracted bioactive compounds from FVW and by-products can find wide applications as a natural additive in food, cosmetics and/or in pharmaceutical applications. Currently, novel cost effective strategies have been developed for effective valorisation of agri-food wastes and by-products. The field of FVW management is still limited, thus leaving a wide gap for new ideas, novelty and applications of more efficient green techniques for complete utilization of agri-food wastes and by-products. Some of the interesting aspects on wastes and by-products management are discussed in relevance to Europe and in Estonia

Sustainable polysaccharide and protein hydrogel-based packaging materials for food products: A review

Sustainable food packaging is a necessary element to ensure the success of a food system, the accomplishment of which is weighed in terms of quality retention and ensured products safety. Irrespective of the raised environmental concerns regarding petroleum-based packaging materials, a sustainable analysis and a lab to land assessment should be a priority to eliminate similar fates of new material. Functionalized bio-based hydrogels are one of the smartest packaging inventions that are expected to revolutionize the food packaging industry. Although in this review, the focus relies on recent developments in the sustainable bio-based hydrogel packaging materials, natural biopolymers such as proteins and polysaccharides from which hydrogels could be obtained, the challenges encountered in hydrogel-based packaging materials and the future prospects of hydrogel-based food packaging materials are also discussed. Moreover, the need for 'Life Cycle Assessment' (LCA), stress on certifications and a sustainable waste management system is also suggested which can bring both food and packaging into the same recycling bins.Authors (SS and RB) acknowledge the research support from the ongoing project ERA-Chair in VALORTECH at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 810630.Authors (SS and RB) acknowledge the research support from the ongoing project ERA-Chair in VALORTECH at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 810630

Dietary fiber from underutilized plant resources—a positive approach for valorization of fruit and vegetable wastes

Agri-food industries generate enormous amounts of fruit and vegetable processing wastes, which opens up an important research area aimed towards minimizing and managing them effciently to support zero wastes and/or circular economy concept. These wastes remain underutilized owing to a lack of appropriate processing technologies vital for their effcient valorization, especially for recovery of health beneficial bioactives like dietary fibers. Dietary fiber finds wide applications in food and pharmaceutical industries and holds high promise as a potential food additive and/or as a functional food ingredient to meet the techno-functional purposes important for developing health-promoting value-added products. Based on this, the present review has been designed to support ‘zero waste’ and ‘waste to wealth’ concepts. In addition, the focus revolves around providing updated information on various sustainability challenges incurred towards valorization of fruit and vegetable wastes for extraction of health promoting dietary fibers

Bioactives from agri-food wastes: present insights and future challenges

Sustainable utilization of agri-food wastes and by-products for producing value-added products (for cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food industrial applications) provides an opportunity for earning additional income for the dependent industrial sector. Besides, effective valorisation of wastes/by-products can efficiently help in reducing environmental stress by decreasing unwarranted pollution. The major focus of this review is to provide comprehensive information on valorisation of agri-food wastes and by-products with focus laid on bioactive compounds and bioactivity. The review covers the bioactives identified from wastes and by-products of plants (fruits, exotic fruits, vegetables and seeds), animals (dairy and meat) and marine (fish, shellfish seaweeds) resources. Further, insights on the present status and future challenges of sustainably utilizing agri-food wastes/by-products for value addition will be highlighted.The theme of this review article is based on the ongoing project- VALORTECH, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 810630

ESTIMATION OF SERUM COPPER AND ZINC LEVEL IN PATIENTS WITH ORAL SUB MUCOUS FIBROSIS AND ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Trace elements are receiving too much attention as they are found to be significantly altered in head and neck, lung and breast carcinomas, and there is need to develop sensitive, specific and faster tests as an aid in the early diagnosis of the primary tumor and its recurrence or malignant transformation in premalignant states.Aim: To estimate serum copper and zinc levels in Oral Submucous Fibrosisand oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. Methodology: Sera of OSCC (n = 10) and OSMF (n = 10) patients and of healthy controls was analysed for the estimation of Cu and Zn using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: There was an increase in sera levels of Cu while those of Zn were decreased in both Oral Submucous fibrosis and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients as compared to the healthy controls. Conclusion: It could be concluded that there is an alteration of sera levels of these trace elements which can be helpful in early detection and management in OSMF and OSCC patients

Compositional evaluation of hot-pressed rapeseed cake for the purpose of bioplastic production

Received: January 29th, 2021 ; Accepted: April 10th, 2021 ; Published: April 13th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] is widely cultivated for biodiesel or food-grade oil production. As the oil production process generates huge amounts of wastes and by-products (e.g. oil press cake and meal) that have relatively high crude protein content, valorisation as input material for protein-based bioplastics has a lot of potential. There is a limited number of studies undertaken on using rapeseed cake directly (without prior protein extraction) for biomaterial production, but the initial results have been very promising. As rape and turnip rapeseeds are also some of the most harvested crops in Estonia, the rapeseed oil press cake as a by-product is also available from local food-grade rapeseed oil production. In this regard, we investigated locally available rapeseed oil press cake for chemical composition and explored suitability for bioplastic production. The results indicate suitability for direct biomaterial production, meaning properties for biomaterial formation could be further explored.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 810630: ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorisation Technologies of the Estonian University of Life Sciences (VALORTECH). In addition, funding received from Mobility Plus ERA-Chair support (Grant no. MOBEC006 ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorisation Technologies of the Estonian University of Life Sciences) is also gratefully acknowledged