Andean blackberries are highly perishable due to their susceptibility to water loss, softening, mechanical injuries, and postharvest diseases. In this study, the antimicrobial efficacy of gaseous ozone against spoilage (mesophiles, psychrotrophs, and yeasts and molds) and pathogenic (E. coli, S. enterica, and B. cinerea) microorganisms was evaluated during 10 days of storage at 6 ± 1 °C. Respiration rate and mass loss were also determined. Ozone was applied prior to storage at 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 ppm, for 3 min. The best results were observed with the higher ozone dose, with initial maximum reductions of ~0.5, 1.09, and 0.46 log units for E. coli, S. enterica, and B. cinerea, respectively. For the native microflora, maximum reductions of 1.85, 1.89, and 2.24 log units were achieved on day 1 for the mesophiles, psychrotrophs, and yeasts and molds, respectively, and this effect was maintained throughout storage. In addition, the lower respiration rate and mass loss of the blackberries ozonated at 0.7 ppm indicate that this treatment did not induce physiological damage to the fruit. Gaseous O₃ could be effective in maintaining the postharvest quality of blackberries throughout refrigerated storage but higher doses could be advisable to enhance its antimicrobial activity.

Lycopene is usually extracted from the by‐product of the tomato industry using organic solvents (OS) in combination with a physical technique. An emerging physical technique is high‐pressure processing (HPP). This study aims to find a method by applying a green solvent (edible vegetable oils) in an HPP‐assisted solid–liquid extraction. Three dosages of tomato by‐product (10%, 20%, and 40%, w/v) were tested using OS, sunflower oil (RSO), and extra‐virgin olive oil (EVOO). Lycopene recovery increased with the ratio of by‐product to oil, particularly when using EVOO. In another stage of the study, consumers evaluated EVOO that contained two doses of tomato by‐product (10% and 20%, w/v). Consumers preferred the EVOO from 10% tomato by‐product ratio over that with 20%. Additionally, 83.8% of consumers stated that enriched oil could be deemed beneficial for health. The proposed method considers the fundamental principles of the circular economy and practical industrial scenario to recover lycopene from tomato by‐product.

Propolis is rich in bioactive compounds like phenols and flavonoids, which make it a promising alternative as a natural preservative. However, the use of propolis in the food industry is limited due to its strong, characteristic flavor. To overcome this problem, several strategies such as the combination with other ingredients or propolis microencapsulation have been studied. In this work, the addition of honeydew (no floral honey) to, and the elimination of the ethanol from, the propolis extract solution were used to mitigate this sensorial defect. Thus, the effect of these propolis solutions on beef quality during refrigerated storage were evaluated. Throughout storage, a decrease in the pH and the a*, indicative of microbial growth and oxidation, respectively, was observed in the control samples. Both deterioration processes were slowed down in the treated samples, demonstrating the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the propolis and the honeydew. What is more, neither ethanol evaporation nor the addition of honeydew impaired the antimicrobial activity of the solutions, with the greatest microbial reductions observed in the former. With this solution, a reduction of 0.77 and 1.45 logarithmic units were observed for the mesophiles and the Enterobacteria, respectively. Finally, the propolis and honeydew solution presented the highest scores in all the sensory attributes analyzed. In conclusion, the strategies applied in this study were effective at enhancing propolis extract flavor whilst maintaining its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This could be a promising starting point for a wider use of propolis as a natural preservative in the food industry.