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Research Project
Sustainable and cost-effective production process for the upcycling of olive, grape and nut by-products into 4 natural and healthy ingredients for nutraceutical and cosmetic applications
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Publications
Status and challenges of plant-anticancer compounds in cancer treatment
Publication . Garcia-Oliveira, Paula; Otero, Paz; Pereira, Antia Gonzalez; Chamorro Rivo, Franklin Noel; Carpena Rodríguez, María; Echave Álvarez, Javier; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.
Nowadays, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, which has been estimated to cause 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Conventional treatments for cancer commonly involve monochemotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and mono-chemotherapy. However, the negative side effects of these approaches have been extensively reported and have prompted the search of new therapeutic drugs. In this context, scientific community started to look for innovative sources of anticancer compounds in natural sources, including traditional plants. Currently, numerous studies have evaluated the anticancer properties of natural compounds derived from plants, both in vitro and in vivo. In pre-clinical stages, some promising compounds could be mentioned, such as the sulforaphane or different phenolic compounds. On the other hand, some phytochemicals obtained positive results in clinical stages and were further approved for cancer treatment, such as vinca alkaloids or the paclitaxel. Nevertheless, these compounds are not exempt of limitations, such as low solubility, restricted effect on their own, negative side-effects, etc. This review aims to compile the information about the current phytochemicals used for cancer treatment and also promising candidates, main action mechanisms and also reported limitations. In this sense, some strategies to face the limitations have been considered, such as nano-based formulations to improve solubility or chemical modification to reduce toxicity. In conclusion, although more research is still necessary to develop more efficient and safe phytochemical drugs, more of these compounds might be used in future cancer therapies.
Applications of by-products from the olive oil processing: Revalorization strategies based on target molecules and green extraction technologies
Publication . Otero, Paz; Garcia-Oliveira, Paula; Carpena Rodríguez, María; Barral Martínez, Marta; Chamorro Rivo, Franklin Noel; Echave Álvarez, Javier; García-Pérez, Pascual; Cao, Hui; Xiao, Jianbo; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.
During the last decades, olive oil consumption has experienced a continuous increase due to its
unique organoleptic properties and its related beneficial properties. Consequently, waste and by-products
derived from the olive production have also increased causing environmental problems and economic losses.
However, the low-cost and huge availability of these by-products is an opportunity for their valorization and the
obtaining of high added-value compounds such as tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol (HT), oleocanthal, oleuropein (OLE),
ligstroside, squalene, fatty acids, etc. The development of innovative extraction and characterization technologies
is a key factor for the olive sector. In addition, a deeper knowledge about the biological properties of the
compounds present in the recovered products and their mechanism of action is crucial to allow their reintegration
in the food chain and their potential uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Scope and approach: This review encompasses all these aspects showing the advances achieved to date in the olive
oil by-products valorization focusing on their biological properties, including cardioprotective, antioxidant,
anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects.
Key findings and conclusions: The by-products derived from the Olea europaea L. processing industry are secondary
but valuable products, from which different biologically active molecules can be recovered by green extraction
technologies (PLE, SFE, etc.) and reused for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes following the circular
economy policies. One of the main advantages on recovering valuable molecules from olive by-products is their
incorporation to functional foods. A direct effect was proved between the use of olive by-products in human
consumption and the heath claims. In this context, different food industries have used the phenolic fraction of
olive by-products, holding mostly HT and OLE, as food additives and as preserving agents due to their antioxidant
properties.
Challenges for future food systems: from the green revolution to food supply chains with a special focus on sustainability
Publication . Soria‐Lopez, Anton; Garcia‐Perez, Pascual; Carpena, Maria; Garcia‐Oliveira, Paula; Otero, Paz; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Cao, Hui; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Simal‐Gandara, Jesus
Finding a food system to feed the growing worldwide population remains a challenge,
especially in the current era, where natural resources are being dramatically
depleted. From a historical point of view, the Green Revolution, together with biofortification
and sustainable intensification, was established as a possible solution to
counter hunger and malnutrition during the second half of the 20th century. As a
solution, to overcome the limitations attributed to the Green Revolution, food supply
chains were developed. The current food system, based on the long food supply chain
(LFSC), is characterized by globalization, promoting several advantages for both producers
and consumers. However, LFSC has been demonstrated to be unable to feed
the global population and, furthermore, it generates negative ecological, environmental,
logistical, and nutritional pressures. Thus, novel efficient food systems are required
to respond to current environmental and consumers’ demands, as is the case of short
food supply chain (SFSC). As a recently emerging food system, the evaluation of SFSC
sustainability in terms of environmental, economic, and social assessment is yet to be
determined. This review is focused on the evolution of food supply systems, starting
from the Green Revolution to food supply chains, providing a significant perspective
on sustainability.
Biological properties and potential of compounds extracted from red seaweeds
Publication . Carpena Rodríguez, María; García-Pérez, Pascual; García-Oliveira, Paula; Chamorro Rivo, Franklin Noel; Otero, Paz; Lourenço-Lopes, Catarina; Cao, Hui; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.
Macroalgae have been recently used for
different applications in the food, cosmetic and
pharmaceutical industry since they do not compete
for land and freshwater against other resources.
Moreover, they have been highlighted as a potential
source of bioactive compounds. Red algae (Rhodo-
phyta) are the largest group of seaweeds, including
around 6000 different species, thus it can be hypoth-
esized that they are a potential source of bioactive
compounds. Sulfated polysaccharides, mainly agar
and carrageenans, are the most relevant and exploited
compounds of red algae. Other potential molecules are
essential fatty acids, phycobiliproteins, vitamins,
minerals, and other secondary metabolites. All these
compounds have been demonstrated to exert several
biological activities, among which antioxidant, anti-
inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial properties can be highlighted. Nevertheless, these properties
need to be further tested on in vivo experiments and go
in-depth in the study of the mechanism of action of the
specific molecules and the understanding of the
structure–activity relation. At last, the extraction
technologies are essential for the correct isolation of
the molecules, in a cost-effective way, to facilitate the
scale-up of the processes and their further application
by the industry. This manuscript is aimed at describing
the fundamental composition of red algae and their
most studied biological properties to pave the way to
the utilization of this underused resource.
Evolution of flavors in extra virgin olive oil shelf-life
Publication . García-Oliveira, Paula; Jiménez López, Cecília; Lourenço-Lopes, Catarina; Chamorro Rivo, Franklin Noel; González Pereira, Antía; Carreira Casais, Anxo; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Carpena Rodríguez, María; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is one of the most distinctive ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. There are many properties related to this golden ingredient, from supreme organoleptic characteristics to benefits for human health. EVOO contains in its composition molecules capable of exerting bioactivities such as cardio protection, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer activity, among others, mainly caused by unsaturated fatty acids and certain minor compounds such as tocopherols or phenolic compounds. EVOO is considered the highest quality vegetable oil, which also implies a high sensory quality. The organoleptic properties related to the flavor of this valued product are also due to the presence of a series of compounds in its composition, mainly some carbonyl compounds found in the volatile fraction, although some minor compounds such as phenolic compounds also contribute. However, these properties are greatly affected by the incidence of certain factors, both intrinsic, such as the olive variety, and extrinsic, such as the growing conditions, so that each EVOO has a particular flavor. Furthermore, these flavors are susceptible to change under the influence of other factors throughout the oil's shelf-life, such as oxidation or temperature. This work offers a description of some of the most remarkable compounds responsible for EVOO’s unique flavor and aroma, the factors affecting them, the mechanism that lead to the degradation of EVOO, and how flavors can be altered during the shelf-life of the oil, as well as several strategies suggested for the preservation of this flavor, on which the quality of the product also depends.
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Funding agency
European Commission
Funding programme
H2020
Funding Award Number
888003