Apple pomace, the main by-product in apple processing, is a cheap source of bioactive compounds that could be used in the food industry. However, the value of this by-product is still far from being fully realized. In this study, 11 strains of Lactobacillus strains were assayed for β-glucosidase activity, and only Lactobacillus rhamnosus L08 (L. rhamnosus L08) showed high cell-membrane associated β-glucosidase activity. We then evaluated the effects of fermentation of apple pomace using the selected strain, focusing on the biotransformation of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. We found that L. rhamnosus L08 fermentation significantly reduced the contents of quercitrin and phlorizin in apple pomace, while increasing the contents of quercetin and phloretin. The contents of gallic acid, epicatechin acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid were also increased in apple pomace after fermentation. In addition, the antioxidant activities of apple pomace were enhanced during fermentation, based on the bioconversion of phenolic profiles. Our results demonstrate that lactic acid bacteria fermentation is a promising approach to enhance the bioactivity of phenolic compounds in apple pomace. Moreover, this study demonstrates that, as a valuable processing by-product with bioactive components, apple pomace can be used in the food industry to provide economic benefits.
Keywords: apple pomace; by-product; lactic acid bacteria; phenolic compounds; β-glucosidase.