• Energy Research

The FINNOVER project provides a technical and economic path for the creation of new supply chains, or their development, for the sustainable extraction and utilization of natural biologically active molecules. In this research, a green extraction method and re-use strategy of botanical by-products are developed and used to obtain value-added products as an ecological alternative to waste composting or incineration. It was applied to the production of Castanea spp. bud-derivatives (a specific category of food supplements derived from plant material) and their by-products. This study aimed to compare the phytochemical composition of Castanea spp. bud-preparations (herbal preparations from buds and sprouts) with the extracts derived from the bud-waste management process. Bioactive compounds were extracted by maceration in hydroglyceroalcoholic solution (traditional method) and by a green extraction technique (Pulsed Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction—PUAE) and identified and quantified by HPLC methods obtaining a specific chromatographic profile. PUAE extracted a total content of 160.42 mg/100 g FW, a good amount if compared to the relative commercial product (1276.17 mg/100 g FW). About 13% of the chemical content of Castanea spp. bud-preparations was maintained in the by-product extracts. This research showed that PUAE may be considered as a sustainable alternative to waste management based on incineration or composting. This study could be considered by the industries for the development of new products for the market derived from the bud-derivative processing waste.

Although modern medicine is available in many developing countries, such as the Comoros Islands, the primary health-care needs of the local population are based on traditional foods and beverages derived from natural resources and medicinal plants for cultural and historical reasons. Aphloia theiformis (Vahl) Benn. (‘Mfandrabo’), Cinnamomum verum J.Presl (‘Mani yamdrara’), Ocimum gratissimum L. (‘Roulé’), Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. (‘Ynadombwe’), Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (‘Sandze monach’) and Ocimum americanum L. (‘Kandza’) are six wild plants that are largely utilised to treat many diseases. The leaves of these plants are used in the traditional Comorian tea (aqueous infusion). This study aimed to identify and quantify the main health-promoting compounds in the traditional formulation of Comorian tea by HPLC profiling together with a preliminary assessment of antioxidant capacity to confirm the traditional use of these plants by the local population. The single plants were also studied. The Comoros tea presented a total polyphenolic content (TPC) of 4511.50 ± 74.41 mgGAE/100 g DW, a value higher than the TPCs of the different plants included in the Comorian tea. Moreover, the Comorian tea showed an antioxidant capacity (AOC) of 578.65 ± 6.48 mmol Fe2+/Kg DW, a value higher if compared to all the AOC values obtained in the single plants. The polyphenolic fraction (771.37 ± 35.76 mg/100 g DW) and organic acids (981.40 ± 38.38 mg/100 g DW) were the most important phytochemical classes in the Comorian tea (40.68% and 51.75% of the total phytocomplex, respectively), followed by the monoterpenes (5.88%) and vitamin C (1.67%), while carotenoids were detected in trace (0.02%). The Comorian tea could be important in meeting the high demand in the Comoros Islands and other developing countries for cost-effective and natural health-promoting foods and/or beverages to be produced by agri-food industries and used by the local population. This study may promote traditional foods in rural communities in the Comoros Islands and contribute to sustainable rural development and a commercial valorisation of these plants for health-promoting and food applications.