The reuse of food by-products is crucial for the well-being of the planet. Considering the high content of nutrients and other bioactive compounds in many of them, investigating their suitability for use as human food ingredients is an interesting challenge. In this study, in addition to the proximate composition, phenol content and antioxidant activity (AOA = 3.2 mmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g, db) of orange juice powder by-product (CoP), different in vitro properties related to carbohydrate metabolism have been characterised. Specifically, the glycaemic index (GI), the glycaemic load (GL), the glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI = 13.6%), the glucose adsorption capacity (GAC = 22.5 mM) and the inhibition capacity of α-amylase (α-A = 46.9%) and α-glucosidase (α-G = 93.3%) of powdered orange juice waste have been determined and related to fibre and phenolics composition. Taking advantage of the high fibre content of the by-product (36.67%), its GL was calculated for a CoP dose that allows labelling the food to which it is added as a source of fibre. The low GI value (24.4%) and the low GL (0.918 g available carbohydrates per serving) allowed us to conclude that the product studied could be an interesting opportunity for the food industry to offer it as a healthy food ingredient to be included in the diet, especially for those suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. Of the total phenolic compounds (TP = 509 mg equivalent of gallic acid (GAE)/100 g, db), 68% were found in free fraction (FP), and their contribution to the total AOA was 40.6%, while this was 54.9% for the 32% of phenols bound to plant tissues (BP).
Keywords: dietary fibre; enzyme inhibitor; glycaemia type 2 diabetes mellitus; glycaemic index; glycaemic load; waste of orange juice.