Maximizing Sustainability and Reducing Food Waste: Harnessing the Power of Plant By-Products

by Jorge Luis Alonso with ChatGPT The aim of this review, prepared by the China Agricultural University, is to summarize materials made from PDFBPs that can help maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables after they?ve been harvested. The paper will also cover recent studies on how these materials can help preserve fruits and vegetables after harvest.? Fresh fruits and vegetables are important to a healthy diet because they provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These nutrients, along with phenolic compounds found in fruits and vegetables, can help prevent chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. However, fruits and vegetables can lose quality during transportation and storage after harvest, which can hinder consumer acceptance and economic development. To combat this problem, scientists are developing technologies to minimize quality loss, including the use of plant-derived food byproducts (PDFBPs). Researchers have discovered that PDFBPs can be valuable in maintaining the quality of fruits and vegetables after harvest. These materials, which include extracts of bioactive compounds, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, proteins, essential oils and nanoparticles, show great promise.? This review, published by the journal Trends in Food Science & Technology, attempts to summarize materials prepared from PDFBPs that demonstrate the potential to maintain quality and extend shelf life of postharvest fruits and vegetables. To put this knowledge into practice, according to the authors, researchers can incorporate extracts, essential oils and nanoparticles produced by green processes into edible coatings or biodegradable films. By doing so, they can improve the effectiveness of these coatings and films in keeping fruits and vegetables fresh for longer. Overall, by exploring and harnessing the potential of PDFBPs, fruits and vegetables can be made to last longer and be of better quality, reducing food waste and benefiting the environment. Key findings and conclusions PDFBPs can be used to maintain the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables by utilizing their diverse high-added-value materials. Here?s how: Extracts of bioactive compounds can be used as dipping or washing agents to maintain the quality of fruits and vegetables and improve their resistance to fungal infections. Polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and proteins can be developed into edible coatings or biodegradable films with excellent oxygen and water barrier properties to improve the post-harvest preservation of fruits and vegetables. Essential oils and green synthesized nanoparticles can be incorporated into edible coatings or biodegradable films to further enhance their preservation effects on post-harvest fruits and vegetables. By taking action and harnessing the potential of PDFBPs, researchers can significantly improve the quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables, reducing food waste and benefiting the environment. Source: Jiang, H., Zhang, W., Xu, Y., Zhang, Y., Pu, Y., Cao, J., & Jiang, W. (2021). Applications of plant-derived food by-products to maintain quality of postharvest fruits and vegetables. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 116, 1105-1119. Author:?Jorge Luis?Alonso G. (with ChatGPT)?Maximizing Agribusiness Profits with Expert Postharvest Storage Strategies | Horticultural Writing Specialist.?This article was written exclusively for the business platform Postharvest. Image by?Columbia University.