Fresh and processed fruits are commonly used to prepare different industrial products with superior nutritional and health-promoting properties. Currently, the demand for processed-fruit products has motivated the rapid growth of fruit-processing industries, persuading them to produce an enormous number of by-products. Furthermore, people’s shifting dietary habits and lack of awareness of nutritional properties result in a large number of fruit by-products. The lack of knowledge about the value of by-products urges the exploration of proper documents that emphasize the health benefits of such products. Hence, this article was prepared by carefully reviewing the recent literature on industrial applications of fruit by-products and their nutritional and health-promoting properties. The use of fruit by-products in food industries for various purposes has been reported in the past and has been reviewed and described here. Fruit by-products are a good source of nutrients and bioactive components, including polyphenols, dietary fibers, and vitamins, implying that they could have an important role for novel, value-added functional food properties. Furthermore, fruit by-products are used as the substrate to produce organic acids, essential oils, enzymes, fuel, biodegradable packaging materials, and preservatives.

Brassica vegetables have demonstrated many health benefits over the years due to their composition of phenolic, flavonoid, and glucosinolate contents. However, these bioactive molecules can be easily depleted during gastronomic operations. Therefore, a sustainable method that improves their phenolic content and antioxidant activity is required for both the processors and consumers. Thermal processing has been demonstrated as a method to improve the phenolic content and antioxidant status of Brassica vegetables. In the current study, four different thermal processing methods, including freeze-drying, sautéing, steaming, and air-frying, were employed for five different Brassica vegetables, including kale, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and green cabbage. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities were assessed using radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS^•+), reducing power (FRAP), and the chelating ability of metal ions. Among the methods tested, air-frying at 160 °C for 10 min showed the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity of the Brassica vegetables, while sautéing showed the lowest. The steam treatments were preferred over the freeze-drying treatments. Within the vegetables tested, both kale and broccoli sprouts contained higher antioxidant properties in most of the employed processing treatments. The results also indicated that there is a strong correlation between the TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). This study indicates that air-frying could be used as a sustainable thermal processing method for improving biomolecules in Brassica vegetables.

Mustard seeds have been used since ancient times contributing great economic value to global agriculture. Canada, one of the world's top producers, grows three main mustard varieties, white /yellow, (Brassica hirta/Sinapis alba), black (Brassica nigra) and Oriental (Brassica juncea). Besides their high protein and lipid content, mustard varieties are a rich source of phenolic compounds. This review will cover mustard seed components including lipids, glucosinolates, and sinapates. The latter are the main phenolic compounds in mustard and include sinapine, sinapic acid and its conversion to canolol. The important bioactivities associated with mustard phenolics, has led to efforts to improve the methods for their extraction. The use of green technology is crucial for producing these phenolics while minimizing any detrimental effects to the environment. The important antioxidant and anticancer activities of these phenolics will also be reviewed.