There exists an increasing interest from consumers and scientific community in developing edible-natural-biodegradable coatings to replace commercial wax-based coatings for maintaining postharvest quality of vegetables. In this work, the effectiveness of guar gum coating on various quality characteristics of Roma tomato at 22±2°C over a 20 d storage period was investigated. Tomatoes were covered with a 1.5% guar gum coating plasticized with glycerol at 30% and stored at 22±2°C and 40% RH for 20-d. Tomatoes covered with edible coating significantly enhanced firmness and reduced weight loss, delayed changes on soluble-solids-content, retarded loss of total acidity, and decreased respiration rate compared with uncoated-control fruit. Sensory analysis by trained panelists revealed that the use of the edible coating influenced the acceptability of tomatoes. There were significant differences on the scores given by panelists when comparing the coated and uncoated tomatoes. It was concluded that guar gum affected favorably the physicochemical, microbial, and sensorial quality properties of Roma tomato and therefore could be beneficial in delaying the ripening process at 22±2°C.

Agroindustrial activities generate various residues or byproducts which are inefficiently utilized, impacting the environment and increasing production costs. These byproducts contain significant amounts of bioactive compounds, including dietary fiber with associated phenolic compounds, known as antioxidant dietary fiber (ADF). Phenolic compounds are related to the prevention of diseases related to oxidative stress, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. The mechanism of ADF depends on its chemical structure and the interactions between the dietary fiber and associated phenolic compounds. This work describes ADF, the main byproducts considered sources of ADF, its mechanisms of action, and its potential use in the formulation of foods destined for human consumption. ADF responds to the demand for low-cost, functional ingredients with great health benefits. A higher intake of antioxidant dietary fiber contributes to reducing the risk of diseases such as type II diabetes, colon cancer, obesity, and kidney stones, and has bile-acid retention–excretion, gastrointestinal laxative, hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, prebiotic, and cardioprotective effects. ADF is a functional, sustainable, and profitable ingredient with different applications in agroindustry; its use can improve the technofunctional and nutritional properties of food, helping to close the cycle following the premise of the circular economy.

Procyanidins are an important group of bioactive molecules known for their benefits to human health. These compounds are promising in the treatment of chronic metabolic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as they prevent cell damage related to oxidative stress. It is necessary to study effective extraction methods for the recovery of these components. In this review, advances in the recovery of procyanidins from agro-industrial wastes are presented, which are obtained through ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized fluid extraction and subcritical water extraction. Current trends focus on the extraction of procyanidins from seeds, peels, pomaces, leaves and bark in agro-industrial wastes, which are extracted by ultrasound. Some techniques have been coupled with environmentally friendly techniques. There are few studies focused on the extraction and evaluation of biological activities of procyanidins. The identification and quantification of these compounds are the result of the study of the polyphenolic profile of plant sources. Antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory activity are presented as the biological properties of greatest interest. Agro-industrial wastes can be an economical and easily accessible source for the extraction of procyanidins.