According to researchers from the Instituto de la Grasa Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Seville, Spain, it is possible to take the by-products of asparagus processing and use them as functional ingredients.
According to the research, published in Food and Bioproducts Processing, previous studies of the bioactive components of asparagus have revealed that the by-products are rich in many of the phytochemicals located in the edible part of the spears. The main components responsible for asparagus bioactivity are phenols (flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids) and saponins.
The researchers said that they have developed a process for obtaining added-value compounds from asparagus by-products using a hydrothermal treatment of the samples. Two fractions are separated after the hydrothermal treatment, consisting on an aqueous functional extract containing most soluble bioactive compounds from asparagus by-product, and a fibrous residue that, after being dried, constitutes the asparagus bioactive fibre.
The process includes a column purification step, using an adsorbent polymeric resin, which allows aqueous extracts, partially purified to be obtained and enriched in specific compounds (phenolics and/or saponins).
All these presentations have, said the researchers, been investigated for their biological activity. Preliminary results showed that the distinct products obtained from asparagus by-products are of interest for their biological activity and are suitable for being used as functional ingredients. Based on their antioxidant capacity, it could, they said, be proposed that their regular use could help the prevention of several diseases related to the oxidative damage.
