Novel Processing Method for Enhancing Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds in Food By-products

Background

“Recycling, bioconversion of waste, and by-product utilization are essential components of a sustainable environment. Agricultural and food processing by-products such as citrus pulp, onion skin, peanut skin, and garlic skin often contain valuable bioactive molecules that can be used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. These waste materials represent a significant potential for low-cost functional dietary additives and antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. However, the chemical structure and matrix interactions within the plant material hinder the bio-accessibility and bio-availability of these functional compounds. As a result, these resources are generally undervalued and discarded, leading to both economic loss and environmental waste.

Traditional methods for enhancing the bio-accessibility and bio-availability of bioactive compounds in plant biomass involve chemical and physical modifications. These processes often include expensive, complicated, and time-consuming extraction and isolation steps, which serve as significant bottlenecks in the application of natural products in drug development and other industries. Furthermore, these conventional techniques may generate hazardous chemicals and effluents, posing additional environmental and safety challenges. The inefficiency and high cost of current approaches necessitate a more innovative, efficient, and environmentally friendly solution to fully utilize the bioactive compounds found in agricultural and food processing by-products.”

Technology

The technology focuses on transforming food processing by-products such as citrus pulp, onion skin, peanut skin, and garlic skin into valuable bioactive compounds. These compounds can serve as functional ingredients in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. The process begins with grinding the biomass to reduce particle size, followed by treatment in an aqueous medium at elevated temperatures under acidic conditions. The acidic environment can be achieved by adding inorganic or organic acids, or by allowing low molecular weight polysaccharides to hydrolyze and reduce the pH naturally. Further mechanical treatments, such as using a microfluidizer, masuko super mass collider, sonicator, or cryocrushing, can disrupt cell structures to micro or nano size levels, thereby increasing the bioaccessibility of the bioactive materials. This innovative method avoids the need for extraction, isolation, and fractionation, ensuring the entire biomass is utilized without generating hazardous chemicals or effluents. The end product can then be used as an antimicrobial agent against pathogens in fish, shrimp, and animals or as functional feed additives.

This technology differentiates itself through multiple facets. Firstly, it addresses the economic and environmental challenges associated with waste by transforming low-cost, easily available food processing by-products into high-value compounds. Traditional methods involving chemical extraction are often expensive, complex, and time-consuming, making them less feasible for large-scale application. This novel method, however, circumvents these drawbacks by enabling the direct use of processed biomass without the need for extraction and isolation, thereby simplifying the process and reducing costs. Additionally, the technology is environmentally friendly as it generates no hazardous chemicals or effluents, aligning well with sustainable development goals. The method’s comprehensive utilization of biomass ensures minimal waste and maximum resource efficiency, offering a cost-effective and safe platform for producing natural antimicrobial agents and functional feed additives. This not only promotes sustainability in food processing but also opens new avenues for the application of bioactive compounds in various industries.

Benefits

• Promotes sustainable environment
• Utilizes low-cost, easily available food processing wastes
• Enhances bio-accessibility and bio-availability of bioactive compounds
• Eliminates the need for extraction, isolation, and fractionation
• Produces no effluent and hazardous chemical generation
• Creates natural antimicrobial agents against fish/shrimp/animal pathogens
• Develops functional feed additives for animals
• Offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution

Applications

• Functional food additives
• Cosmetic ingredients
• Pharmaceutical compounds
• Animal feed additives
• Natural antimicrobial agents

Additional info

The described process enhances the bio-accessibility of bioactive compounds from food processing by-products like citrus pulp, onion peel, peanut skin, and garlic husk. It involves grinding the biomass, treating it in acidic aqueous medium at elevated temperatures, and applying further mechanical treatments to disrupt cell structures. This method avoids extraction, isolation, and hazardous chemicals, producing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly antimicrobial agent and functional feed additive for animals.