The professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Murcia (UMU), María Ángeles Pedreño, leads a study commissioned by a company in the Region on the use of broccoli waste, a crop that each year generates more than 200 million kilos of vegetables and many millions more by-products derived, mainly stems. 70% of the national broccoli comes from Murcian fields, so a study of this type should also come from some institution in the Region, in this case the UMU.
«The agri-food industry is currently one of the main engines of economic development in the world, and the Region of Murcia is a power in the production of fruit and vegetables», explains Pedreño. The professor adds that the processing of these products «generates a huge amount of by-products” that are mostly “discarded and pose an environmental problem». Some are used in the production of biomass and animal feed, but «these strategies do not guarantee efficient use of this material, which can offer interesting possibilities for the agri-food industry and the reduction of this environmental problem».
The project that Pedreño’s team is developing evaluates their use «as cheap sources of bioactive compounds (that is, compounds that are beneficial to human health) for their incorporation into the manufacture of new functional products within the food, nutraceutical and cosmetic».
Among the bioactive compounds in broccoli, «it is worth noting the glucosinolates and phenolic compounds (flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids), as well as other nutrients such as carotenoids, sterols, vitamin C, fiber (which provides a certain laxative power) and essential mineral elements for health».
The research, now underway, wants to respond to the producer’s need to dispose of broccoli by-products, while being respectful of the natural environment and obtaining additional economic returns.
