Abstract
Red apple pomace as a source of biomolecules: green techniques for recovering compounds with potential human and environmental health applications (Acronym RAP BiG) State of the art: Fruit and vegetable wastes and by-products are the highest among all types of foods, reaching up to 60% for some products. In the last decades, they have been recognized as a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which can be obtained through extraction processes and/or chemical transformation to produce functional foods, supplements, and cosmetics, among others. However, many of the solvent-based extraction processes are nowadays considered to be harmful and inefficient, due to the long time needed to extract/purify the target compounds and to the large solvent volumes required, which generate huge amounts of toxic, polluting waste. This produces a negative impact on both health and environment, thus the search for solvent consumption reduction and greener extraction techniques has been strongly fostered. Circular economy promises to be an efficient option to reuse natural resources and derived by-products; the goal is to re-introduce the latter into the production line as raw materials for obtaining new products with high health benefits and added value through sustainable technologies. Aim of the project: This project investigates the possibility of applying an innovative green approach based on the use of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) to obtain valuable products/compounds from the waste and by-products (peels, seeds and pomace) of red apples. This material is still very rich in phenolic compounds belonging to different subclasses, especially anthocyanins, dihydrochalcones, and flavonols, which are known for their multifaceted biological activities. NADES have been recently developed as a new generation of environmentally friendly solvents, and several studies have already demonstrated that they act not only as extraction solvents for anthocyanins and polyphenols, but may also play an important role in the enhancement of their bioactivity. The final objectives of the RAP-BiG project are to obtain an innovative product, endowed with valuable biological activities, starting from a common renewable agri-food waste material, and, at the same time, to explore the possibility of a full exploitation of some new red apple varieties, which have not yet been investigated for its phytochemical profile, despite having excellent organoleptic features. Expected results: Expected results will be the possibility of applying an innovative eco-friendly approach for the specific valorisation of the apple pomace material. The novelty of the project will be the potential of extending the range of application of new-generation solvents for the valorisation of agri-food wastes. The results will allow to find differences in the chemical characterization of peels and pomace from different varieties of red apples, in order to select the most promising one, to be exploited for a full valorization. Moreover, the biological activities of the extracts will be investigated to better define the potential applications of the enriched extracts and one or more compounds with a well-defined activity.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Fabiana Antognoni
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Scienze per la Qualità della Vita
Coordinatore:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 196.306,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 100.523,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
12/10/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
