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This work aimed to propose the reuse of processing waste from the Sicilian almond (Prunus amygdalus Batsch.) cultivar Tuono for the formulation of a new functional baked product (muffin) that is gluten- and lactose-free. Muffins were prepared using orange juice, rice flour, extra virgin olive oil, and enriched almond skin (3% and 6% w/w). The chemical-physical parameters, total phenols, and flavonoids (TPC and TFC), as well as the biological properties of the ingredients and muffins, were evaluated. Sensory analyses were also conducted. DPPH, ABTS, β-carotene bleaching, and FRAP tests were applied to measure the antioxidant potential. Muffin extracts were also tested against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Muffins enriched with 6% almond skin (M6) showed the highest TPC and TFC with values of 26.96 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 24.12 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g, respectively. M6 exerted a promising antioxidant activity as an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, with an IC50 of 15.44 μg/mL at 30 min incubation. Moreover, muffin M6 showed a promising α-glucosidase inhibitory effect (IC50 of 51.82 μg/mL). Based on the obtained results and supported by sensory analysis, muffins enriched with almond skin should be proposed as a promising example of upcycling for the development of a new functional bakery product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to propose the reuse of processing waste from the Sicilian almond (Prunus amygdalus Batsch.) cultivar Tuono for the formulation of a new functional baked product (muffin) that is gluten- and lactose-free. Muffins were prepared using orange juice, rice flour, extra virgin olive oil, and enriched almond skin (3% and 6% w/w). The chemical-physical parameters, total phenols, and flavonoids (TPC and TFC), as well as the biological properties of the ingredients and muffins, were evaluated. Sensory analyses were also conducted. DPPH, ABTS, β-carotene bleaching, and FRAP tests were applied to measure the antioxidant potential. Muffin extracts were also tested against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. Muffins enriched with 6% almond skin (M6) showed the highest TPC and TFC with values of 26.96 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 24.12 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g, respectively. M6 exerted a promising antioxidant activity as an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, with an IC50 of 15.44 μg/mL at 30 min incubation. Moreover, muffin M6 showed a promising α-glucosidase inhibitory effect (IC50 of 51.82 μg/mL). Based on the obtained results and supported by sensory analysis, muffins enriched with almond skin should be proposed as a promising example of upcycling for the development of a new functional bakery product.

The production and consumption of almonds occur in several locations worldwide, yielding immense volumes of trash, mainly skin. The current study evaluated the adsorptive manners of almond skin (AS) without modification for clearing Basic Red 46 dye (BR46) from water. XRD, FTIR, SEM/EDX, BET, and pHpzc are among the many analytical tools used to investigate AS's surface features. BR46 adsorption over AS was efficient at pH 8 and 2 g/L of AS, conferring 57.45 mg.g−1 within 120 min. The Langmuir was seen to accurately present the equilibrium curves, exhibiting qmax = 66.90 mg.g−1, whereas the PSO model precisely resembled the empirical results. The thermodynamic results proclaimed that BR46 adsorption was favorable, with spontaneity (ΔG° < 0) and endothermicity ΔH° (5.03 kJ.mol−1). Further, the AS reusability prospect was investigated, revealing excellent regeneration potential even after 4 adsorption/desorption runs. These findings suggest the potential of valorizing almond skin as a sustainable resource, which could be a promising prospect for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almonds are one of the most produced nuts worldwide and numerous studies have shown that they have nutritional and medicinal characteristics, which gives them the possibility of being applied in various products. However, several by-products are generated during their production, which have characteristics of interest but remain underutilised, namely, the almond skins. This work aimed to study samples of waffles supplemented with almond skins. The waffles were evaluated for their total polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, total flavonoids, ortho-diphenols, soluble sugars, starch, texture, and colour. They were also sensorially evaluated using a panel of tasters specialised in this type of evaluation and a quantitative descriptive analysis test (QDA) sensory test. The results showed that the waffles with the highest levels of phenolic compounds as well as the highest antioxidant activity (by the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP methods) were the waffles supplemented with 10% almond skin. The total phenol contents obtained for the prepared extracts varied between 0.127 mg GAE/g and 0.415 mg GAE/g, the flavonoid contents ranged from 0.067 mg CAE/g to 0.339 mg CAE/g and the ortho-diphenol contents varied between 0.163 mg ACE /g and 0.303 mg ACE/g. Regarding the quantification of soluble sugars, the values were presented in percentage of fresh weight, and ranged from 30.148 to 38.054%; regarding the quantification of starch, the percentages varied from 14.488 to 21.982%. Sensorially, we verified that the samples were statistically different in terms of the descriptors "colour", "roasted aroma", and "dissolubility", with a higher score in these descriptors for the waffles with 10% of almond skin. This process of obtaining waffles, which can be industrialised, is interesting from both a nutritional point of view and for the possibility of creating new, differentiated, and innovative products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almond skins are known for their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which are mainly due to the presence of polyphenols. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of almond skin extract (ASE) obtained from the Sicilian cultivar "Fascionello" and to evaluate the possible mechanisms of action using an in vitro model of human monocytic U937 cells as well as an in vivo model of carrageenan (CAR)-induced paw edema. The in vitro studies demonstrated that pretreatment with ASE inhibited the formation of ROS and apoptosis. The in vivo studies showed that ASE restored the CAR-induced tissue changes; restored the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione; and decreased neutrophil infiltration, lipid peroxidation, and the release of proinflammatory mediators. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of ASE could be associated with the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory nuclear NF-κB and the activation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant pathways. In conclusion, almond skin could reduce the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress and could be beneficial in the treatment of several disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the industrial processing of almond fruits, tons of almond skins are generated. Valorization of blanched almond skin wastes by recovering natural polyphenols using water, instead of organic solvents, for direct application of aqueous baths for dyeing of wool fabrics was studied in this work. The results showed that it was possible to recover polyphenols from almond skins and use them as a dye for wool fibres. Kinetics of extraction was modelled by using the diffusion-based Chrastil's model and Peleg's empirical model, obtaining excellent fit in both cases (R2 > 0.96). The amount of polyphenol extracted was enough to achieve correct direct dyeing with excellent washing, rubbing and perspiration fastness although the shades obtained were dull. Nevertheless, it was possible to achieve a better coloration by using ion(II) sulfate as the mordant resulting in dyeings with reasonable good washing and rubbing fastness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived as a healthy food, almond beverages are gaining ever-increasing consumer preference across nonalcoholic vegetable beverages, ranking in first place among oilseed-based drinks. However, costly raw material; time and energy consuming pre- and posttreatments such as soaking, blanching and peeling; and thermal sterilization hinder their sustainability, affordability and spread. Hydrodynamic cavitation processes were applied, for the first time, as a single-unit operation with straightforward scalability, to the extraction in water of almond skinless kernels in the form of flour and fine grains, and of whole almond seeds in the form of coarse grains, up to high concentrations. The nutritional profile of the extracts matched that of a high-end commercial product, as well as showing nearly complete extraction of the raw materials. The availability of bioactive micronutrients and the microbiological stability exceeded the commercial product. The concentrated extract of whole almond seeds showed comparatively higher antiradical activity, likely due to the properties of the almond kernel skin. Hydrodynamic cavitation-based processing might represent a convenient route to the production of conventional as well as integral and potentially healthier almond beverages, avoiding multiple technological steps, while affording fast production cycles and consuming less than 50 Wh of electricity per liter before bottling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The careful selection of carbon precursors for chemical activation is critical in obtaining cost-effective and efficient porous activated biocarbons with multifunctional properties. Herein, we report on utilising almond skin to synthesize porous activated biocarbons via solid-state KOH activation. Through precise manipulation of the impregnation ratio of KOH to the non-porous carbon, a range of materials with intriguing properties including high surface area, large pore volume, tunable micro and mesopores, and surface functionalization with oxygen were synthesized. The optimized material ASPC5-4 displayed an extremely high surface area (3535 m2 g−1), a large pore volume (1.9 cm3 g−1), a high proportion of mesopores (96.5 %) and a notable surface oxygen content (6.93 wt %). These excellent features allowed ASPC5-4 to adsorb a record amount of CO 2 at 0 °C/30 bar (39.81 mmol g−1). Another material ASPC5-2 exhibited a high content of micropores and adsorbed 5.92 mmol g−1 of CO 2 at 0 °C/1 bar. ASPC5-4 also exhibited great potential as a supercapacitor electrode, displaying a high specific capacitance in both a three-electrode (354 F g−1/0.5 A g−1) and two-electrode (203 F g−1/0.5 A g−1) systems. It also demonstrated high power and energy densities of 638 W kg−1 and 47 W h kg−1, respectively. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived as a healthy food, almond beverages are gaining ever-increasing consumer preference across nonalcoholic vegetable beverages, ranking in first place among oilseed-based drinks. However, costly raw material; time and energy consuming pre- and posttreatments such as soaking, blanching and peeling; and thermal sterilization hinder their sustainability, affordability and spread. Hydrodynamic cavitation processes were applied, for the first time, as a single-unit operation with straightforward scalability, to the extraction in water of almond skinless kernels in the form of flour and fine grains, and of whole almond seeds in the form of coarse grains, up to high concentrations. The nutritional profile of the extracts matched that of a high-end commercial product, as well as showing nearly complete extraction of the raw materials. The availability of bioactive micronutrients and the microbiological stability exceeded the commercial product. The concentrated extract of whole almond seeds showed comparatively higher antiradical activity, likely due to the properties of the almond kernel skin. Hydrodynamic cavitation-based processing might represent a convenient route to the production of conventional as well as integral and potentially healthier almond beverages, avoiding multiple technological steps, while affording fast production cycles and consuming less than 50 Wh of electricity per liter before bottling.

Biochar dye adsorbents are touted as "green" and low-cost compared to metals/oxides and polymers. However, the most active of them require some form of multi-step chemical activation with toxic chemicals which tarnish their credentials. Going forward, there is a need to develop low-toxic chemical activators or discover new biomass sources that can generate high-value biochar adsorbents via physical activation. Herein, we demonstrate that unlike other biomass waste almond skin (WA-s) contains a unique network of lignocellulosic capillary-like structures (CN) buried inside a dense lignocellulosic shell. Via one-step carbonization at 900 °C under N 2 , the shell is removed exposing CN which transforms into defect-rich carbon macrostructures (AS-C-T). Data from spectroscopy analysis indicate that AS-C-T has the special ability to undergo carbonylation, at high temperatures, creating moderate acidic carbonyl (C O) interfaces that form selective hydrogen bonds with the acidic hydrogen of zwitterion methyl blue (MB), at pH 6.2 to 7.2. Such interactions induce high MB adsorption capacity (>3000 mgg−1) and selectivity comparable to the state-of-the-art. The hydrogen bonding is strong and irreversible; however, it creates secondary interfaces which ensure high recyclability. The adsorption reaction is endothermic and modeled by the pseudo-second-order kinetic, Langmuir, and Intra-particle diffusion. Practically, AS-C-T can be retrofitted to commercial filters to produce pathogen- and dye-free water. These properties make AS-C-T a potential "green" and low-cost adsorbent for dye effluents. Our results hint at the fact that biomass sources with intricate capillary structures might have unique interfacial properties which are useful for preparing high-value biochar adsorbents without chemical activation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]