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Regolo L, Giampieri F, Battino M, Armas Diaz Y, Mezzetti B, Elexpuru-Zabaleta M, Mazas C, Tutusaus K, Mazzoni L. From by-products to new application opportunities: the enhancement of the leaves deriving from the fruit plants for new potential healthy products. Front Nutr 2024; 11:1083759. [PMID: 38895662 PMCID: PMC11184148 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1083759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, the world population and demand for any kind of product have grown exponentially. The rhythm of production to satisfy the request of the population has become unsustainable and the concept of the linear economy, introduced after the Industrial Revolution, has been replaced by a new economic approach, the circular economy. In this new economic model, the concept of "the end of life" is substituted by the concept of restoration, providing a new life to many industrial wastes. Leaves are a by-product of several agricultural cultivations. In recent years, the scientific interest regarding leaf biochemical composition grew, recording that plant leaves may be considered an alternative source of bioactive substances. Plant leaves' main bioactive compounds are similar to those in fruits, i.e., phenolic acids and esters, flavonols, anthocyanins, and procyanidins. Bioactive compounds can positively influence human health; in fact, it is no coincidence that the leaves were used by our ancestors as a natural remedy for various pathological conditions. Therefore, leaves can be exploited to manufacture many products in food (e.g., being incorporated in food formulations as natural antioxidants, or used to create edible coatings or films for food packaging), cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries (e.g., promising ingredients in anti-aging cosmetics such as oils, serums, dermatological creams, bath gels, and other products). This review focuses on the leaves' main bioactive compounds and their beneficial health effects, indicating their applications until today to enhance them as a harvesting by-product and highlight their possible reuse for new potential healthy products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Regolo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali – Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesca Giampieri
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Maurizio Battino
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Intelligent Agriculture and Agri-Product Processing, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Yasmany Armas Diaz
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Bruno Mezzetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali – Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
| | - Maria Elexpuru-Zabaleta
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
| | - Cristina Mazas
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
- Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche, Mexico
| | - Kilian Tutusaus
- Research Group on Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain
- Research Center for Foods, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidade Internacional do Cuanza, Cuito, Angola
| | - Luca Mazzoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali – Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
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