Pineapple stem has been extensively used for bromelain extraction; however, almost no attention has been given to the waste obtained during bromelain manufacturing. In this regard, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and inhibitions against 15-lipoxygenase and advanced glycation end product formations by pineapple stem waste (PSW) obtained during bromelain manufacturing process were studied. The PSW had moderate bioactivities in all the performed assays. It also showed a considerable inhibition against fungal growth, probably due to high amounts of the benzoic acid present in the sample. These results indicate that PSW could be utilized as an economic source of preventive or therapeutic agent in disease and in different functional food industries.
Practical application: A large amount of wastes are generated during bromelain manufacturing from pineapple stem. So far, these wastes are not utilized and are often considered as a burden while disposing them. However, we found some important phytochemicals with considerable bioactivities in these wastes. We believe that these wastes may have a promising usage as a cheap source of one of the ingredients in functional food based industries.
© 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®