A Structured Approach to Recover Valuable Compounds from Agri-food Side Streams

Food side streams contain useful compounds such as proteins, sugars, polyphenols, and amino acids that might get discarded during processing. The concentration of these components may be low (e.g., fruit side streams are mainly composed by water, around 90%, while polyphenol content in rapeseed meal is less than 3% dry weight) and therefore effective separation techniques should be evaluated. The aim of this review is to identify the different process steps (like pretreatment, volume reduction, phase change, solid removal, purification, and formulation) required to recover high-value products from agri-food residues. It reviews different plant-based byproducts as sources (cereal bran, fruit pomace, oilseed meals, fruit wastewater) of valuable compounds and discusses the relevant technologies required for processing (such as extraction, adsorption, crystallization, drying, among others). A structured approach to design recovery processes presented focused on high purity products. This work demonstrates that multiple high-value products can be recovered from a single agri-food side stream depending on the processing steps and the origin source (strong and soft structures and wastewater).

PECULIARITIES OF THE COMPOSITION OF WHEAT AND RYE BRAN AND THEIR ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES OF HUMAN REVIEW

The paper analyzes the literature on the therapeutic and prophylactic effects of components of secondary products of processing of rye and wheat – dietary fiber and phenolic compounds – on human health. A special role is played by soluble arabinoxylans and xylooligosaccharides associated with ferulic acid, which have prebiotic, antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Experimental and epidemiological studies have shown that the inclusion of cereal bran in the diet has a positive effect on human health and helps to reduce the risk of diseases associated with the Western type of diet – atherosclerosis, second type diabetes, and various types of oncology.

Sensorial and Functional Properties of Nutri-Cereal Bran Enriched Muffins and Buns

Bran is waste generated during primary processing of cereal grains. These brans are rich source of dietary fiber, nutrients, phytonutrients especially phenols and flavonoids contributing to their antioxidant properties. Thus, bran is gaining lot of attention as functional ingredient in bakery industry due to their nutritional properties. Millets are tiny grains that are highly nutritious hence termed as nutri-cereals but their primary processing is tedious given its small size. This leads to loss of major portion of grain generating huge amount of bran and bran-rich fractions that are usually discarded or used as animal feed. Utilization of millet brans in value addition of bakery products still remains understudied. Thus, present study was designed to evaluate functional properties of minor millet bran (proso and barnyard) enriched flour (0 – 30%) and formulate bakery products viz. buns and muffins. It was evident from results that water absorption capacity of flour increased with addition of bran but water solubility index, oil absorption and foaming capacity decreased. The sensory scores of muffins and buns reduced with increased bran incorporation and control scored highest. Study concluded that muffins with 30% and buns with 20% proso and barnyard bran showed better acceptability.

Archaeobotany

Archaeobotany explores people’s engagement with plants and landscapes through analysis of preserved plant remains. Delicate, sometimes fragmentary, remains of plants are often recovered from archaeological excavations because in certain conditions this material can survive for thousands of years. When identified, plant remains enable the archaeobotanist to reveal how humans created, modified, and engaged with their physical and social environments through space and time. A wide variety of research questions can be explored in archaeobotany, including foodways, agricultural and other management practices, environments, medicines, textiles, structures, and furnishings. In its methodological and theoretical approaches, archaeobotany draws from many disciplines, including botany, plant genetics, agricultural studies, ethnography, history, and archaeology. Terms other than archaeobotany are sometimes used to refer to this discipline, including “palaeoethnobotany” and “palaeobotany.” The term “palaeoethnobotany” emphasizes human interactions with plants, while “palaeobotany” is focused on environments. The term “archaeobotany” is more appropriate because it combines the study of both human interactions and landscapes, and this dual approach is better suited to research objectives in archaeology. There are two broad groups of material in archaeobotany: macro-remains and micro-remains. Plant macro-remains are more often studied, but analysis of micro-remains is becoming increasingly popular. Plant macro-remains usually refer to plant structures that can be seen with the naked eye (often >0.5mm) but require low-powered microscopy for identification. Seeds and fruits of higher plants are most often studied, including cereal grains and chaff, nuts and nutshell, stones and seeds of fruits, and seeds of wild plants (the word “seed” is used here in its broadest sense). Other plant macro-remains, some of which require higher-powered microscopy, can include remains of cooked food, cereal bran (part of the periderm of the grass caryopsis), vegetative components of plants (such as leaves, bud scales and thorns), parenchyma (underground storage organs of plants, such as roots and tubers), plant fibers, wood and charcoal, and lower plants, such as mosses and fungi. Commonly investigated plant micro-remains include pollen, phytoliths, and starch grains. Some categories of remains (such as seeds) can inform on local, short-term human interactions with plants, whereas others (such as pollen) can reflect regional, longer-term interactions. The category of plant remains selected for analysis will usually depend on research questions and expected preservation conditions.