The applications of conventional and innovative mechanical technologies to tailor structural and functional features of dietary fibers from plant wastes: A review

Abstract

Plant food wastes generated through the food chain have attracted increasing attention over the last few years not only due to critical environmental and economic issues but also as an available source of valuable components such as dietary fibers. However, the exploitation of plant waste remains limited due to the lack of appropriate processing technologies to recover and tailor fiber functionalities. Among the different technologies developed for waste valorization, mechanical techniques were suggested to be a promising and sustainable strategy to extract fibers with improved functionalities. In this context, the present review describes different mechanical technologies (conventional and innovative) with potential applications to produce micro/nanofibers from various plant residues, highlighting the operating principle as well as the main advantages and pitfalls. The impact on the structural, technological, and functional properties of fibrous materials is comprehensively discussed. The extent of fiber modification not only highly depended on the technology and operation conditions used but also on fiber composition and the application of posttreatments such as dehydration. Other variables, including economic and environmental issues such as equipment cost, energy demand, and eco‐friendly features, are also reviewed. The outputs of this review can be used by both the industrial sector and academia to select a suitable combination of fiber and processing technology for designing novel foods with improved functionalities that fulfill market trends and consumer needs.

Anti‐diabetic effect of banana peel dietary fibers on type 2 diabetic mellitus mice induced by streptozotocin and high‐sugar and high‐fat diet

“…In future studies, it is possible to explore the difference in the effect size of different doses of BP‐SDF on T2DM mice. In addition, the SDF content in banana peels was low and relevant studies have shown that the modification of dietary fiber using the assistance of extrusion puffing, steam explosion, and ultrasound could promote the conversion of IDF to SDF and effectively improve the SDF yield (Fayaz et al, 2022; Gan et al, 2021). Therefore, this modification technique could be introduced in subsequent studies to explore changes in SDF content and differences in modified effects.…”

Valorization of Fibrous Plant-Based Food Waste as Biosorbents for Remediation of Heavy Metals from Wastewater—A Review

“…The effectiveness of these materials can be enhanced through various types of modification techniques. Several technical approaches, including mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, and/or biological technologies, have been developed to disrupt plant cellular integrity and isolate fibers with altered structural, physicochemical, and functional characteristics to enhance sorption efficiency [ 68 , 69 ].…”

“…The components of fibers vary not only in physiological activity and chemical structure from one source to another but also in their capacity to bind essential elements such as Ca, Cu, Fe, and Zn [ 66 ] and heavy metals such as As, Cd, Hg, and Pb [ 67 ]. The performance of fibers depends on several factors: physicochemical parameters, functionality, and modification technology to improve functionality [ 68 , 69 ]. Fibers are found in plant-based foods such as nuts and seeds (beans, split peas, soybeans, corn, sunflowers, barley, oats, wheat, almonds, pumpkins, lentils, etc.…”

Hornification: Lessons learned from the wood industry for attenuating this phenomenon in plant‐based dietary fibers from food wastes

“…Various technologies are utilized in the defibrillation and modification of DF obtained from different plants, including dry and wet processing, enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and chemical and physical treatments that can be applied individually or in combination. These technologies can result in the extraction of different types of fibers as total DF, SDF, or IDF fractions, or individual constituents with different morphologies, depending on the fiber source and pretreatments (Fayaz et al., 2022). Recently, emerging technologies, such as sub and supercritical drying, ultrasound, microwave heating, high pressure, and pulsed electric field‐assisted extractions, have also been suggested by researchers for efficient extraction of DF (Soleimanian et al., 2021).…”

“…On the other hand, biological methods such as enzymatic hydrolysis or microbial fermentation could be expensive since they require pure enzymes, a specific strain of microorganisms, sophisticated equipment, and controlled process conditions (Maphosa & Jideani, 2016; Soleimanian et al., 2021). However, conventional and novel (thermo) mechanical technologies including grinding, high‐speed mixing, high dynamic pressure homogenization, high‐pressure microfluidization, high‐intensity ultrasonication, high‐hydrostatic pressure, extrusion, and steam explosion have drawn more attention due to the lower environmental impacts and promising features (Fayaz et al., 2022). It has been reported that mechanical approaches can cause profound changes in fiber functionalities and hydration properties, by altering the DF composition and structural characteristics.…”