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The growing demand for essential nutrients provided by fruits has led to an increase in processed fruit products. However, this processing generates a significant amount of byproducts. Due to a lack of awareness about their nutritional and health benefits, these byproducts are often treated as waste, negatively impacting the environment. To address this, this review focuses on the potential health effects and industrial reusability of these byproducts and their bioactive compounds from commonly consumed fruits in the United States including apples, bananas, citrus, and watermelon. The reviewed studies showed that these by-products, including peels, seeds, pomace, skin, and rinds, are rich sources of bioactive compounds at higher concentrations than the fruit flesh, offering potential health benefits including antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Incorporation of these byproducts in foods improved their physicochemical and nutrition properties as they are rich in dietary fiber and polyphenols. While many studies show promising results in vitro and in animal models, further research is needed to understand their effectiveness in humans and their potential for sustainable food innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Natural bioactive compounds with high potential to enhance performance of animals are required to provide strategies to advance animal production. The current study evaluated synergistic effects of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) and onion peel (OP) in two dairy dietary substrates. Results showed improvement in fermentation parameters and modulation of fiber degradability. Combining MOS and OP was better than their individual administration. The current study evaluated the effect of combining mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) and onion peel (OP) on ruminal in vitro total gas (GP), greenhouse gas emissions, dry matter and fiber fraction digestibility, partitioning factor (PF24; mg degradable DM per mL gas), microbial mass, and volatile fatty acids using two dietary substrates: high forage (HF) and high concentrate (HC) diets. The study was arranged as a 2 × 2 × 6 factorial design with two dietary substrates, two time points (6 and 24 h), and six treatments. The treatments included a control group with no MOS or OP administration and groups administered with 2% of a mixture containing MOS and OP in the following ratios: 1:0 (MOS), 0:1 (OP), 1:1 (MOS:OP), 1:2 (MOS:2OP), and 1:3 (MOS:3OP). No significant diet × treatment interactions were observed for any of the measured parameters. However, treatments decreased (p < 0.05) the undegraded portion of HC, and treatment × substrate interactions were significant (p < 0.05) for PF24 and microbial mass. The treatments in the HC diet produced higher GP (p < 0.001) at 6 h compared to the treatments in the HF diet. Administration of MOS:2OP to the HC diet increased GP at 24 h of incubation, while the lowest GP was observed with the OP in the HF diet. The administration of MOS, OP, and MOS:2OP to the HC diet decreased methane production at 24 h of incubation. Additionally, MOS:2OP and MOS:3OP increased (p < 0.001) degradable acid detergent fiber (dADF) in the HC diet at 6 h of incubation. Both OP and MOS:3OP decreased the degradability of acid detergent lignin in the HC diet (p < 0.001). The OP also resulted in the lowest DM disappearance (p < 0.001) at 24 h of incubation in the HF diet, while the MOS:3OP had the highest dADF. At the end of incubation, the highest productions of total volatile fatty acids and acetate were observed (p = 0.002) with the MOS:OP administration in the HC diet, whereas the lowest values were observed with MOS and OP administration to the HF diet. The inclusion of mannan oligosaccharide and onion peel combinations as additives improved substrate (HC and HF) fermentation, leading to higher GP and volatile fatty production, and modulated fiber degradability by improving the breakdown of acid detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesogenic diets cause intestinal inflammation and dysfunction. Polyphenols have shown a positive impact on reducing inflammation in in vitro studies. However, their bioactivity may not be the same in the in vivo system due to structural alteration by the gastrointestinal digestive process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of onion peel and its major bioactive compound, quercetin, in the intestine and further examine the impact of intestinal digestion on this effect. Methods: Onion peel extract (OPE) and quercetin (Q) were digested using gastrointestinal digestive enzymes in vitro and then treated into lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Caco-2/HT-29 cells. Genes and proteins related to tight junction, inflammation, and epithelial integrity were measured. Results: OPE and digested OPE (DOPE) had a higher protective effect on LPS-induced tight junction and inflammatory genes and paracellular permeability than Q and digested Q (DQ). DOPE was more effective than OPE, while digestion did not change the activity of Q. The anti-inflammatory effect of OPE and Q with or without digestion was achieved by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B through AMP-activated protein kinase-activated silent mating-type information regulation 2 homolog 1. Conclusions: It was the first to find that a crude extract, after undergoing gastrointestinal digestion, demonstrated a notably superior anti-inflammatory effect in the cell study, suggesting the consumption of onion peels could potentially yield similar benefits in the human intestine. This discovery underscores the potential of onion peel polyphenols in combating intestinal inflammation, making them a compelling area of research for future therapeutic applications using food byproducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The purpose of this study is to examine breakfast-eating behaviors of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students in conjunction with their breakfast awareness and eating habit satisfaction. A self-administered survey was distributed in fall semester 2016 (N 289 students). Results show that 72% of students at a HBCU who participated in the survey were only moderately satisfied with their eating habits. Breakfast skippers were more likely to be African American students. Opportunities exist for family and consumer sciences (FCS) educators to develop intervention programs about putting knowledge into practice in order to improve African American students' health and well-being through breakfast eating.