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Summary: The present study aimed at understanding the response of dietary fibres and phenolic compounds to apple matrix disintegration and thermal treatment. Apple was processed by mimicking industrial operations of blanching, destructuring by high‐speed homogenisation (HSH) or high‐pressure homogenisation (HPH), and pasteurisation. A viscous puree (0.73 Pa × s), made of juice embedding intact cells and large cell clusters, was obtained by HSH. Conversely, HPH completely disrupted apple tissue leading to a fluid homogenate (0.27 Pa × s) in which the fibrous matrix was suspended. Despite these differences, apple puree and homogenate presented similar content of total and soluble dietary fibre, with no significant differences in the chemical structure of apple pectin, as demonstrated by FT‐IR and NMR analyses. Apple puree and homogenate retained more than 80% of the phenolic content originally present in apple pulp (about 2125 mg/gdw) without detriment to radical scavenging activity. This minor phenolic depletion, regardless of the different extent of mechanical disintegration, was mainly due to the decrease of thermolabile flavanols upon application of analogous heat treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mela Rosa Marchigiana pulp callus cultures produce long-lasting bioactive compounds. • Mela Rosa Marchigiana pulp callus extract showed in vitro antioxidant activity. • Mela Rosa Marchigiana pulp callus extract showed ex vivo antioxidant activity. • Mela Rosa Marchigiana pulp callus extract showed in vivo antioxidant activity. [Display omitted] The Mela Rosa Marchigiana (MRM) pulp callus, kept alive since 2017 by monthly sub-cultures, was investigated and morphologically described. In the present paper, the MRM callus ethanolic Extract (MRME) was prepared from one of the 2022 callus sub-cultures and analysed by GC-MS and GC-FID. The investigation was carried out to test whether a long-term culture could affect either the amount or the bioactivity (or both) of the triterpenes produced by the callus. To this aim, the 2022 extract (MRME 2022) was compared to the extract prepared a few years ago (i.e., MRME 2019). Obtained results showed that the composition of both extracts was almost the same, thus revealing that the callus culture efficiency of triterpenes production was nearly unchanged over time. When analysing the biological effect of the extract, all experimental tests, including cell-free, in vitro , ex vivo , and in vivo assays, confirmed that MRME 2022 significantly protected cells, tissues, or whole organisms from oxidative stress-induced damage. Present results could lead to future studies to test MRME as a possible ingredient of a nutraceutical formulation for healthy aging or for the prevention of oxidative stress-associated pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]