By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Oct 24 2022Reviewed by Aimee Molineux The wine industry generates 20 million tons of by-products annually, corresponding to about 30% of the total quantity of vinified grapes. Healthy bioactive molecules are abundantly present in these by-products. This opens up a promising avenue for nutritional foodstuff production in the future.
Given the high nutritional value of wine by-products, these compounds should be reused in the food industry and for the enrichment of products consumed in the Mediterranean diet . MD is low in consumption of animal products and is mainly a plant-based diet. It further has low greenhouse gas emissions and a small environmental impact. The usage of by-products, such as polyphenols from GP, has the dual benefit of being good for human health and also being environmentally friendly.
The addition of GP powder to substitute flour during the process of wheat bread fortification has enhanced the physical properties and bioactive potential of pasta and bread. In the case of fortified waters and infusions, the bioactivity of GP has also been evaluated. Health benefits Several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies have documented the health benefits of enriching food with the by-products of the wine industry. More specifically, research has shown that food products with wine by-products or extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.