This study was aimed at investigating the chemical composition (proximate, minerals, fatty acids and phenolic compounds) and the in vitro (antimicrobial, radical scavenging, anti-acetylcholinesterase and protein denaturing activities) and in vivo (anti-diabetic and histo-protective effects in alloxan-induced diabetic mice) biological activities of broad bean pods (BBPs), a food waste by-product material. The results showed that BBPs have high dietary fiber (57.46%), carbohydrate (18.93%) and protein (13.81%) content versus low fat content (<1%) contributing to a low energy value of 139.24 kcal per 100 g. Profiling of fatty acids showed an abundance of the essential polyunsaturated α-linolenic and linoleic acids, exhibiting an excellent nutritional quality as revealed by their low atherogenic and thrombogenic indices and their hypocholesterolemic properties. The methanol extract which exhibited the highest total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents was found to be the most active extract in terms of antimicrobial and anti-radical activities. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, the oral administration of a methanol extract (500 mg per kg bw) attenuated the elevated levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase activities, and urea, uric acid, and creatinine. It effectively normalized the status of lipid profiles, mitigated oxidative stress through the activation of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GPx and SOD), and alleviated oxidative stress-mediated histopathological changes in the pancreas, liver, kidney and testis. Compositional analysis by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS revealed the presence of flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin and their derivatives), flavones (apigenin derivatives) and flavonols (glycosides of quercetin and kaempferol), among others. These findings suggest that BBPs may be an effective functional food for the management of diabetes and its complications.

Spices and aromatic herbs have been used since ancient times for flavor, aroma, color, and preservation of food and beverages. They are a rich source of bioactive and functional ingredients to which numerous food-related properties are associated. Among the active ingredients, essential oils have received particular attention due to their wide array of biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, anti-carcinogenic, and acaricidal activities, among others (Harris, 2010).Essential oils are a complex mixture of volatile organic components contributing the flavor and fragrance of a plant. Among essential oil-bearing plants, more than 400 species are processed for their raw materials and that 75% of these (300 species) are potential producers of commercially used essential oils (Lawrence, 1995).Because of their biological properties, essential oils are widely used in flavor and fragrance, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food and feed, and household goods industries. Within the food industries, oil flavoring is one of the major application areas of essential oils owing to their antioxidant property and preventing lipid peroxidation capacity

The global consumption of ready-to-eat food snacks is expending in the past two decades as a consequence of the radical changes of eating habits, and the shift of contemporary consumer toward snacking between meals. Although ready-to-eat snacks offer considerable market potential, several public issues in connection with their nutritional quality, and healthier attributes need to be addressed. In fact, these products are perceived as unhealthy due to their high energetic value, salt, fat content, and trans saturated fatty acids versus a low content of proteins, vitamins, and fibers (Korkerd, Wanlapa, Puttanlek, Uttapap, & Rangsardthong, 2016). Moreover, there is a growing recognition that the frequent consumption of food snacks is associated with some metabolic disorders, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases (Wang, Van der Horst, Jacquier, & Eldridge, 2016). To cope with such problems, attempts to develop new food snacks with good functional properties through the incorporation of functional ingredients such as dietary fibers, protein-rich flour, phenolic compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from algal biomass/extracts, and fish, among others, have been reported

In the last decades, the snack food market is experiencing an important expansion due to the new fast-paced life-style associated with modernization. Crispy snacks, or chips are the most popular snack around the world, nevertheless, their overconsumption is related to the incidence of many diseases. Subsequently, this work aimed to study the chemical composition of 13 brands of potato and corn chips available in the Tunisian market. The investigation was based on: the determination of their chemical, mineral, and fatty acid composition; an evaluation of their lipid quality indices; and a chromatographic analysis of pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons and acrylamide content. The results showed that the chips samples were of a high carbohydrate and fat content of up to 64.54% and 42.98%, respectively, versus a low protein and mineral composition. The fatty acid profiling showed that saturated fatty acids represent more than 39% for the majority of samples. A poor lipid quality was also observed through their low unsaturated fatty acids /saturated Fatty Acids ratios, with a mean value of 2.24 and their high atherogenic and thrombogenic indices that reached 1.69 and 2.23 respectively. While the analysis of pesticide residues and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons showed that all compounds were below the maximum allowed levels, the acrylamide analysis highlighted contamination in all the samples tested, with some values exceeding the allowed threshold. In conclusion, it can be suggested that the crisps sold in the Tunisian market are of a poor nutritional quality and they are potentially unsafe for human consumption.