Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a polyphenol-rich edible food and medicinal plant of ancient origin, containing flavonols, anthocyanins, and tannins, with ellagitannins as the most abundant polyphenols. In the last decades, its consumption and scientific interest increased, due to its multiple beneficial effects. Pomegranate is a balausta fruit, a large berry surrounded by a thick colored peel composed of exocarp and mesocarp with edible arils inside, from which the pomegranate juice can be produced by pressing. Seeds are used to obtain the seed oil, rich in fatty acids. The non-edible part of the fruit, the peel, although generally disposed as a waste or transformed into compost or biogas, is also used to extract bioactive products. This review summarizes some recent preclinical and clinical studies on pomegranate, which highlight promising beneficial effects in several fields. Although further insight is needed on key aspects, including the limited oral bioavailability and the role of possible active metabolites, the ongoing development of suitable encapsulation and green extraction techniques enabling the valorization of waste pomegranate products point to the great potential of pomegranate and its bioactive constituents as dietary supplements or adjuvants in therapies of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases.
Perceived as a healthy food, almond beverages are gaining ever-increasing consumer preference across nonalcoholic vegetable beverages, ranking in first place among oilseed-based drinks. However, costly raw material; time and energy consuming pre- and posttreatments such as soaking, blanching and peeling; and thermal sterilization hinder their sustainability, affordability and spread. Hydrodynamic cavitation processes were applied, for the first time, as a single-unit operation with straightforward scalability, to the extraction in water of almond skinless kernels in the form of flour and fine grains, and of whole almond seeds in the form of coarse grains, up to high concentrations. The nutritional profile of the extracts matched that of a high-end commercial product, as well as showing nearly complete extraction of the raw materials. The availability of bioactive micronutrients and the microbiological stability exceeded the commercial product. The concentrated extract of whole almond seeds showed comparatively higher antiradical activity, likely due to the properties of the almond kernel skin. Hydrodynamic cavitation-based processing might represent a convenient route to the production of conventional as well as integral and potentially healthier almond beverages, avoiding multiple technological steps, while affording fast production cycles and consuming less than 50 Wh of electricity per liter before bottling.
Tannins, extracted from various plant sources, are worldwide commodities used in several different fields, including leather manufacturing and the production of bio-based adhesives, with emerging use in technical, environmental, food and feed sectors, pharmacology. Due to increasing market demand, few emerging techniques were proposed besides the usual hot water extraction usually performed under pressurized conditions. For the first time, hydrodynamic cavitation, an emerging and straightforwardly scalable green extraction technique, was applied to the extraction of tannins from chestnut wood waste in water only and at room pressure, without any pretreatment of the raw material. Promising performances were shown based on tests carried out from room temperature up to 100°C. Extraction rates close to 300 mg of tannin per gram of chestnut wood material (dry basis) were observed, as well as high levels of the antioxidant activity of the obtained extract (IC50 about 10 µg of chestnut wood waste, or 2.45 µg of extracted tannin, per mL of solution). Specific energy consumption was less than 80 Wh per mg of tannin extracted from 1 g of chestnut wood material. The proposed technique would be suitable for both small-scale and industrial extraction facilities.
Tannins, extracted from various plant sources, are worldwide commodities used in several different elds, including leather manufacturing and the production of bio-based adhesives, with emerging use in technical, environmental, food and feed sectors, pharmacology. Due to increasing market demand, few emerging techniques were proposed besides the usual hot water extraction usually performed under pressurized conditions. For the rst time, hydrodynamic cavitation, an emerging and straightforwardly scalable green extraction technique, was applied to the extraction of tannins from chestnut wood waste in water only and at room pressure, without any pretreatment of the raw material. Promising performances were shown based on tests carried out from room temperature up to 100°C. Extraction rates close to 300 mg of tannin per gram of chestnut wood material (dry basis) were observed, as well as high levels of the antioxidant activity of the obtained extract (IC50 about 10 µg of chestnut wood waste, or 2.45 µg of extracted tannin, per mL of solution). Speci c energy consumption was less than 80 Wh per mg of tannin extracted from 1 g of chestnut wood material. The proposed technique would be suitable for both small-scale and industrial extraction facilities.
Almond beverages are gaining ever-increasing consumer preference in the growing market of non-alcoholic vegetable beverages, ranking in first place among oilseed-based drinks, mainly due to the perceived healthy benefits. However, the high cost of the raw material, time and energy consuming pre-treatments such as soaking, blanching and peeling, and post-treatments such as thermal sterilization, leading also to the loss of valuable macronutrients and micronutrients, hinder the sustainability, affordability and spread of almond beverages. Hydrodynamic cavitation processes were applied, as a single-unit operation, to the extraction in water of almond skinless kernels in the form of flour and fine grains, and to whole almond seeds in the form of coarse grains, up to high concentrations. The results showed full compliance with a high-end commercial product and with the expected levels based on the properties of the raw materials. The concentrated extract obtained from whole almond seeds showed a comparatively much higher antiradical activity, likely due to the contribution of the almond kernel skin. In conclusion, hydrodynamic cavitation could represent a convenient alternative processing route to the production of conventional and new integral almond beverages, avoiding multiple and costly technological steps, while affording fast production cycles of potentially healthier beverages.
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