Impact of non-conventional extraction on the resulting lipid and protein fraction from fruit seeds

• Grant number: 25/10571-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Carregari Polachini
• Grantee: Gabriel Poloto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/03269-5 - PROValue: developing non-conventional processes for cascade valorization of fruits and their byproducts, AP.JP

Abstract

The valorization of food ingredients obtained from byproducts through green technologies, which could also intensify the conventional processing, is the major objective of a sustainable process. The high consumption of fruits in Brazil lead to the production of high amounts of fruit seeds, which are rich in lipids and proteins that could be used as new food ingredients for further applications. In order to obtain these fraction in a more efficiently way, ultrasound (US) and pulsed-electric fields (PEF) will be used as assisting technology and pretreatment, respectively. Lipids extraction will be performed using pressurized ethanol in comparison with hexane. Proteins will be solubilized in alkaline medium and precipitated through the isoelectric method. Quality parameter and possible degradation occurred due to the processing conditions will be assessed. The results can be used not only to improve conventional process but also to upcycling food byproducts to produce added-value ingredients for the food industry. (AU)