ABSTRACT
Agro-industrial by-products such as skins, peels, pomace and seeds generated at the end of food processing contain bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber, polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals. Despite this bioactive wealth, plant by-products are not usually used for human consumption and are improperly discarded into the environment. In this sense, we aimed to compile the main functional properties of plant by-products evaluated in animal and human models which contribute to maintaining health or preventing diseases. The results showed that grape and soybean by-products are the most studied. Vegetable by-products are administered in the form of extracts, oils, and flours or as fractionated bioactive, such as fibres and polyphenols. In vivo studies have generally demonstrated antioxidant, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory properties of the by-products. Some studies have shown the effects of consumption of plant by-products on weight loss, against diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, on the balance of the intestinal microbiota and neurobehavioral parameters. Few studies have focused on the toxicity of these by-products and clinical studies on the consumption of fruit and vegetable by-products are scarce. However, clinical trials and studies in animal models support the functional potential of these inputs which can be utilized by both the food and pharmaceutical industries. As the main perspectives, the need to carry out future studies with a greater diversity of fruit and vegetable by-products to subsidize healthy, safe and sustainable human consumption was emphasized.
