{"id":169753,"date":"2024-05-06T10:09:49","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T08:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/?p=167957"},"modified":"2024-08-05T11:44:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T09:44:21","slug":"sustainable-food-from-citrus-persimmon-and-watermelon-by-products-to-pectins-for-dairy-desserts-gummy-candies-and-fibres-for-snacks-or-toppings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/ainia-news\/sustainable-food-from-citrus-persimmon-and-watermelon-by-products-to-pectins-for-dairy-desserts-gummy-candies-and-fibres-for-snacks-or-toppings\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable food: From citrus, persimmon, and watermelon byproducts to pectins for dairy desserts, gummy candies, and fibers for snacks or toppings"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]From Europe, there is a commitment to various scientific strategies and policies aimed at promoting research for the development of healthy foods, implementing circular economy policies through the search for alternative sources of commercially viable ingredients<\/a>. Agricultural byproducts are particularly interesting among the possible sources as they constitute excellent sources of dietary fiber. Among these are citrus, persimmon, and watermelon.<\/p>\n

Faced with the need to increase food production sustainably, enhance the nutritional and functional quality of produced foods, and meet the demands of consumers who seek more natural products that positively impact their health, Europe is embracing diverse strategies and scientific policies to foster research aimed at developing healthy foods and implementing circular economy policies through the search for alternative sources of commercially viable ingredients.<\/p>\n

Agricultural Byproducts: Alternative Sources for Food Ingredient Exploration<\/h2>\n

Among the potential alternative sources for food ingredients, agricultural byproducts are particularly interesting due to the significant amount generated annually and their excellent dietary fiber content. One of the challenges in their industrial implementation often arises from their seasonality. Thus, a potential strategy is to design biorefinery processes that can be applied to residues obtained in different periods of the year.<\/p>\n

Comprehensive Valorization of Citrus, Watermelon, and Persimmon for the Production of Pectins and Extruded \u201cTopping\u201d Products<\/h2>\n

In this context, we are working on the VALU\u00d3S project (Comprehensive and Continuous Valorization of Agricultural Residues from the Valencia Region for the Production of Functional Food Ingredients), where we are conducting comprehensive valorization of agricultural residues generated throughout the year to obtain value-added ingredients. Specifically, we are developing a comprehensive valorization strategy covering most of the annual calendar, focusing on three major crop groups: citrus, watermelon, and persimmon, along with their respective byproducts. Specifically, the strategy is based on a cascading valorization approach, obtaining:<\/p>\n