Title : Valorization of pea pod agro industrial waste as a sustainable approach for the development of functional foods
Abstract:
The valorization of pea pod waste, which constitutes 30-40% of the fresh pea weight, is a crucial strategy for sustainability, as these residues are rich in dietary fibre, protein, minerals, and polyphenols. This research investigates the potential of pea pod powder (PPP) as a natural, functional ingredient to enhance the nutritional profile and stability of various food products. The composition of PPP is characterized by high levels of dietary fibre (reported up to 58.6%), protein (ranging from 10.8% to 16.7%), and significant bioactive compounds like polyphenols, such as rutin, found at about 15.2 mg/100 g, 5-Caffeoylquinic acid quantified at levels of 2.94mg/100g as it frequently reported as the most abundant phenolic found in pea pod water based extracts. Gallic acid is found at about 5.30±0.69 mg/100 mg. Other polyphenols like quinic acid, Cinnamic acid, Ferulic acid, and Rosamarinic acid are additional phenolic acids found in pea pod extracts. which confer antidiabetic and antioxidant benefits. As PPP incorporation across several food matrices, including cookies, instant soup powder, and mayonnaise, analysing impacts on nutritional content, functional properties, and consumer acceptance. Results confirm that PPP incorporation significantly enhances product quality. For example, fortification in cookies increased protein and fibre content while lowering the predicted glycaemic index (pGI) from 78.4 to 62.3 GI. Furthermore, pea pod extract demonstrated high antioxidant capacity, effectively improving the oxidative stability of sunflower oil during storage. As reported during 60 days of storage, samples treated with PPP as T5 – PPP (1200) showed a slower increase in Peroxide Value (PV) (10.72 meq kg) compared to the untreated control (18 meq kg-¹ control). Also, the incorporation of PPP at 3% level, as prebiotic ice cream, supported the viability of E. faecium M74 during storage. Functional food products are in trend as the young generation is interested in an organic lifestyle and prefers healthy choices for better environmental sustainability and good health. In fast paced world, food waste is generally ignored specially in Asian countries where a lack of technology and laboratories does not provide enough evidence of its therapeutic value. Therefore, more indepth research is required in valorization of different fruits and vegetables. Functional food is a great option to provide access to the good valorization options. Conclusively, PPP represents a promising, cost-effective natural ingredient capable of upgrading the nutritional value of foods while supporting circular economy goals.
