Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Science Agriculture

Scientists give wine waste a second life by reusing antioxidants

A way to produce natural antioxidants.

Elena Motivans by Elena Motivans
March 19, 2018
in Agriculture, Green Living, News

One way to make industrial production more sustainable is to reduce waste. To reduce waste, leftover products can be recycled for another use. So far, there have been ideas on how to reuse beer and tofu leftovers for useful applications. Now, scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have an idea how to take the antioxidants out of wine leftovers to be used in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals.

Seeds, stalks, skins made up about a quarter of a grape and are usually thrown away after the wine is produced. In total, 14 million tons of pomace (the leftover part of grapes) is produced by the wine industry every year. When put into landfills, pesticides and fertilizers can leach into the environment, and the low pH of pomace can cause the soil to become more acidic.

It can even contribute to the spread of disease as the rotting materials can attract flies and pests.

ADVERTISEMENT
Wastes from wine production. Image credits: Adrian J. Hunter.

Reusing the pomace could be a win-win situation because it produces more profit for winemakers while minimizing environmental contamination.

Grape pomace is a rich source of natural antioxidants such as proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid. The antioxidants can bind to free radicals, which are toxic byproducts of oxygen metabolism so that they cannot bind to and damage cells. Pomace is also a source of grape oils and dietary fibers for health products.

Dr. Changmou Xu’s work will be presented today at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. His group is creating technologies to extract and separate nutrients from grape pomace, as well as to remove the traces of pesticides. Some applications include using pomace as an agent against food-borne pathogens and as a diet supplement for pigs.

ADVERTISEMENT
Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

“We are also developing some applications in food, aiming to substitute artificial antioxidants with natural antioxidants from grapes for a ‘clean label’ food with only natural ingredients,” Xu says.

The pomace-based antioxidant can be used in mayonnaise to extend the shelf life. Image credits: Jules.

The antioxidants have been added successfully to high-fat food products such as mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and potato chips. They have even extended the shelf life of these foods.

“We are continuing to enhance efficiency of this inhibition and aim to make the phenolic compounds’ performance comparable with that of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), which is an artificial antioxidant,” Xu says.

Antioxidants made from grape pomace could replace EDTA in food, cosmetics, and medicine. The main motive is to satisfy costumers looking for natural ingredients in products. It is good to look for solutions that reduce waste and the need to make ingredients artificially.

 

Elena Motivans

Elena Motivans

I've always liked the way that words can sound together. Combined with my love for nature (and biology background), I'm interested in diving deep into different topics- in the natural world even the most mundane is fascinating!

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.