Innovative Extraction Techniques to Sustainable Production in Food and Biotechnology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2022) | Viewed by 7048

Special Issue Editors

1. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi 3, 00166 Rome, Italy
2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials, and Industrial Production, University of Naples Federico II, P. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: fermentation; functional foods; encapsulation; alginate-based hydrogels; alginates for fermentation; in vitro digestion; pre- and postbiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials, and Industrial Production, University of Naples Federico II, P. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: food engineering; food processes; chemical engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last decades, environmental issues have evolved from pollution and depletion of natural resources towards global issues, such as climate change.

Large amounts of agri-food by-products, non-edible food, and waste are produced throughout the supply chain from the initial production to the final consumption stages. The valorization of this biomass it is possible by extraction process to obtain high value-added compounds and the development and use of environmentally friendly assisted methods, since they improve extraction efficiencies while diminishing the degradation of solute compounds.

The classical extraction processes use organic solvents and provide very high yields; however, they present high environmental impact, require expensive safety measures owing to the toxicity and flammability of the solvents, and involve high costs for solvent separation and purification and for the disposal of the solvent residues and spent solid.

It is necessary the development and application of alternative green technology to replace conventional extraction methods with improved extraction efficiency to have safe and high quality extracts and low environmental impact.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), the use of hydrofluorocarbon solvents under subcritical conditions are examples of the most popular innovative extraction techniques owing to their high extractive yields, low environmental impact, and great process selectivity.

Dr. Marianna Gallo
Prof. Roberto Nigro
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • agri-food by-products
  • biomass valorization
  • extraction processes
  • organic solvents
  • environmental impact
  • extraction efficiencies
  • high yields
  • renewable natural products

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1748 KiB  
Article
Using Hydrofluorocarbon Extracts of Hop in a Pilot Scale Brewing Process
by Rosa Colucci Cante, Marianna Gallo, Alfonso D’Avino, Isidoro Garella and Roberto Nigro
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 6959; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12146959 - 09 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1234
Abstract
In recent years, the use of hop extracts in industrial and home brewing processes as an alternative to hop cones or pellets usually added to wort during boiling has become increasingly popular. These extracts represent concentrated sources of bitter compounds, i.e., α- and [...] Read more.
In recent years, the use of hop extracts in industrial and home brewing processes as an alternative to hop cones or pellets usually added to wort during boiling has become increasingly popular. These extracts represent concentrated sources of bitter compounds, i.e., α- and β-acids, which are involved in some of the main reactions that take place in the wort and are responsible for the bitterness and the final quality of beer. This work aims at proposing a novel extraction technique, using a hydrofluorocarbon solvent in subcritical conditions; this process provided an extraction yield of 19% and an α-acid recovery of approximately 49% in 120 min of process. The α-acid isomerization kinetics of thermally treated hop extracts were studied and compared with those of both hop pellets and a CO2 extract. Laboratory scale tests showed that shorter boiling times were needed using hydrofluorocarbon and CO2 extracts (approximately 25 min and 34 min, respectively) to reach the same isomerization efficiency of 16.73%, achieved in 50 min of boiling with pellets. Moreover, the process was scaled up and the possibility of considerably reducing the conventional treatment times using hydrofluorocarbon extracts was confirmed: the same isomerization yield (9.1%) obtained after 50 min using the traditional procedure with hop pellets was reached in a shorter time of approximately 35 min in a pilot apparatus. Full article
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17 pages, 4690 KiB  
Article
Oil Bodies Cream from Olive Paste: Extraction of a Functional Ingredient for Developing a Stable Food Emulsion
by Simona Itri, Marianna Gallo, Carlo Orefice, Isidoro Garella, Marica Di Domenico, Serena Vitali, Vitale Stanzione, Simonetta Grilli, Pietro Ferraro and Roberto Nigro
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6019; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12126019 - 14 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1473
Abstract
Oil bodies (OBs) dispersed in an aqueous medium form a natural emulsion with high physical and microbiological stability. This work was focused on the development of a new protocol for extracting OBs from olive paste, through the extraction of an olive oil body [...] Read more.
Oil bodies (OBs) dispersed in an aqueous medium form a natural emulsion with high physical and microbiological stability. This work was focused on the development of a new protocol for extracting OBs from olive paste, through the extraction of an olive oil body cream (OOBC) with a yield of about 43% (wt/wt) in approximately 2 h. The proximate analysis revealed the presence of moisture, lipids and proteins as well as the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids, and the antioxidant powers were determined. The rheological and tribological performances of the OOBC were evaluated. Moreover, we measured a size distribution in the range of 0.7–1.7 m, by using a standard optical microscope. The results have demonstrated clearly that the OOBC extracted from the olive paste can be used as a functional and vegan ingredient in food emulsions. Full article
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15 pages, 2796 KiB  
Article
Response Surface Methodological Approach for Optimizing Theobroma cacao L. Oil Extraction
by Manee Saelee, Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi, Chawin Tansrisook, Sasiwimon Duangsri, Khontaros Chaiyasut, Periyanaina Kesika, Sartjin Peerajan and Chaiyavat Chaiyasut
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 5482; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12115482 - 28 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1710
Abstract
Theobroma cacao L. (Cocoa) is an agricultural product that is economically valuable worldwide; it is rich in bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. These compounds are known for their anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, and immune-modulating properties. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter [...] Read more.
Theobroma cacao L. (Cocoa) is an agricultural product that is economically valuable worldwide; it is rich in bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. These compounds are known for their anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, and immune-modulating properties. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are the major cocoa seed products, and cocoa seed oil (CSO) is the least-studied cocoa seed product. CSO is used in several industries; therefore, optimizing the extraction of high-quality CSO is essential. We used response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the restriction dies, temperature, and sieve size to achieve a high yield and quality of CSO. The quality of the CSO was assessed according to total phenolic content (TPC), acid, and peroxide values, fatty acid content, and nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity. The highest yield (actual value: 46.10%; predicted value: 45.82%) was observed with the following restriction parameters: die size: 0.8 cm, temperature: 40 °C, and sieve size > 1.4 mm. The 2FI model for CSO extraction, the pressing time, the reduced quadratic model for acid value, the reduced cubic model for peroxide value, and the TPC showed that the model was significant. Our study primarily reported the impact of sieve size, restriction die, and temperature on CSO yield, acid, peroxide values, TPC of the CSO, and the influence of pressing time on the quantity and quality of the CSO. The high yield of CSO was of relatively lower quality. The temperature affected the yield, acid, peroxide values, TPC, and the nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity. In comparison, the fatty acid composition of the CSO was not affected by the processing temperature or sieve size. The results indicated that the extraction conditions must be chosen based on the application of the extracted oil. Further studies are warranted to confirm the results and further analyze other influential parameters during CSO extraction. Full article
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16 pages, 2306 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Carotenoids from Tomato Pomace Using a Hydrofluorocarbon Solvent in Sub-Critical Conditions
by Rosa Colucci Cante, Marianna Gallo, Lorenzo Varriale, Isidoro Garella and Roberto Nigro
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2822; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12062822 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1877
Abstract
The enrichment of oils with nutraceutical bioactive phytomolecules allows the achievement of functional oil-based products of great interest in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic fields. Carotenoids, such as lycopene and β-carotene, are available at a high concentration in tomatoes and tomato waste products, [...] Read more.
The enrichment of oils with nutraceutical bioactive phytomolecules allows the achievement of functional oil-based products of great interest in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic fields. Carotenoids, such as lycopene and β-carotene, are available at a high concentration in tomatoes and tomato waste products, as peels, seeds, and pulp; their recovery is recently attracting growing interest and economic importance in the food industry, and also in consideration of the huge amount of industrial waste produced. The aim of this work is to study the production of an oil functionalized with carotenoids from tomato peels. The extractions were carried out using an innovative process based on the use of commercial Norflurane as solvent in subcritical conditions. Extraction trials were performed on dried tomato peels, with the addition of tomato seeds or wheat germ flour as sources of oily co-solvents, capable of also preserving the biological characteristics of the carotenoids extracted. Although lycopene solubility in Norflurane is quite low, the solvent recirculation and regeneration were allowed to reach a concentration in the oily extracts of approximately 0.3 mg/goil after 2 h of the process. The enrichment in β-carotene was more pronounced, and concentrations of 0.733 mg/goil and 0.952 mg/goil were observed in wheat germ and tomato seed oils, respectively. The results obtained in this study were compared with those obtained by traditional and supercritical CO2 extraction methods. Full article
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