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Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) contains substantial quantities of phenolic compounds, specifically anthocyanins, and is mainly processed into different products including juice, whose by-product, namely sour cherry pomace (SCP), represents a potential source of high-added bioactive compounds currently underutilized. Oven-drying (OD) and freeze-drying (FD) are simple methods, often used to stabilize food matrices, and can be also successfully employed for the stabilization of sour cherry pomace. In the present study, the influence of genotype (Bianchi d'Offagna and Montmorency cvs), drying method and their interaction on the extractability of phenolic and anthocyanin profiles of sour cherry pomace were evaluated. Both genotype and drying method significantly influenced (p ≤ 0.001) the overall phytochemical content (total monomeric anthocyanin, total flavan-3-ol, total phenolic, and vitamin C) of analysed pomaces. The interrelationships between the parameters analyzed, the genotype, and the different drying conditions, as well as the relationships among variables, were investigated by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA results pointed out that the phytochemical content of sour cherry pomace was firstly influenced by the cultivar (which accounted for about 70% of the total variance), followed by drying process (about 18% of the total variance), and their interaction (about 12% of the total variance), with the exception of total flavan-3-ols, where a similar contribution (about 50%) of the two factors was observed. Besides, antidiabetic potential of SCPs was also investigated, pointing Bianchi D'Offagna FD pomace as the most active. Obtained results 2 point out the SCP stabilized by means of freeze-drying process as a valuable second-generation biorefinery for the food supplements, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.

The use of natural compounds to preserve fruit quality and develop high value functional products deserves attention especially in the growing industry of processing and packaging ready-to-eat fresh-cut fruit. In this work, potential mechanisms underlying the effects of postharvest biofumigation with brassica meal-derived allyl-isothiocyanate on the physiological responses and quality of 'Hayward' kiwifruits were studied. Fruits were treated with 0.15 mg L -1 of allylisothiocyanate vapours for 5 h and then stored in controlled atmosphere (2% O 2 , 4.5% CO 2 ) at 0°C and 95% relative humidity, maintaining an ethylene concentration \0.02 lL L -1 . The short-and long-term effects of allylisothiocyanate on fruit quality traits, nutraceutical attributes, glutathione content, antiradical capacity and the activity of antioxidant enzymes were investigated. The treatment did not influence the overall fruit quality after 120 days of storage, but interestingly it enhanced the ascorbic acid, polyphenols and flavan-3-ol content, improving the antioxidant potential of kiwifruit. The short-term effect of allyl-isothiocyanate was evidenced by an increase of superoxide dismutase activity and of oxidative glutathione redox state, which were restored 24 h after the treatment. The expression levels of genes involved in detoxification functions, ethylene, ascorbate and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, were also significantly affected upon allyl-isothiocyanate application. These results suggest that allyl-isothiocyanate treatment probably triggered an initial oxidative burst, followed by an induction of protective mechanisms, which finally increased the nutraceutical and technological value of treated kiwifruits.