Application of compounds from grape processing by-products: formulation of dietary fiber and encapsulated bioactive compounds

Winemaking by-products, especially grape skins and seeds have received a lot of attention due to their high content of free and fiber-bound bioactive phenolics. In vivo studies have documented the health benefits of these compounds, delivered as powders or capsules, towards cardiovascular disease and possibly type-2 diabetes. One important technological challenge is to formulate these compounds in functional foods, in order to deliver them with the diet. In line with this approach, this chapter summarizes the strategies so far applied to formulate grape bioactive compounds in foods with the aim to: a) preventing their interaction with food components, that can lead to a decreased bioactivity; b) achieving a controlled release in the digestive tract; c) protecting from heat, oxygen and light exposure during food processing and storage that can lead to degradation; d) masking negative impact that they can exert on the sensory properties of foods that can decrease consumers’ liking. An array of applications for micronized grape antioxidant fiber and encapsulated phenolics is presented