Search

Consumers have become more focused on food quality. They demand products that are obtained through a sustainable food industry and agriculture products that are free of chemicals which may negatively affect their health and at the same time have superior sensorial and preservation characteristics. In this respect, the interest in aromatic plants and their extracts is regaining the interest of the scientific world as valuable sources of natural bioactive compounds that possess beneficial properties (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, etc.) and can be used in the development of functional products for human and animal nutrition. This chapter will summarize the properties of the main classes of bioactive compounds from aromatic plants as well as their possible uses in food and nonfood products.

This chapter is revising the current knowledge of the health effects of dietary fiber and prebiotic and dairy applications. The positive health effects of specific fibers on defecation, reduction of postprandial glycemic response, and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels are generally accepted, but other presumed health benefits of dietary fibers are still debated. Although the prebiotic concept evolved significantly during the past two decades, the line between prebiotics and nonprebiotic dietary fiber remains vague.

The scientifically proven health benefits of functional compounds have led to an increase in demand for functional products (food, food supplements, cosmetic products, etc.). As result, finding new sources of bioactive compounds as well as suitable and economically advantageous techniques for their extraction and purification has become a priority direction of the research conducted in the field. The processing of raw materials into food products inevitably generates byproducts or waste that until recently were disposed of, causing environmental issues. Nevertheless, these food byproducts or agroindustrial wastes are now considered renewable sources of valuable compounds (antioxidants, proteins, dietary fibers, fatty acids, colorants, etc.) worth exploiting. The present chapter highlights on one hand the great potential of food waste as a source of bioactive compounds that can be recovered and used as functional ingredients in manifold applications. On the other hand, it also points out the techniques used for the recovery of the bioactive compound, with emphasis on membrane separation.