Biomolecules from Plant Wastes Potentially Relevant in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Co-Occurring Symptomatology

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 8; p. 2403
• Main Authors: Balmus, Ioana-Miruna, Copolovici, Dana, Copolovici, Lucian, Ciobica, Alin, Gorgan, Dragos Lucian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 08.04.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain; Bile; Bioactive compounds; Biofuels; Biomolecules; Citrus fruits; Diet; Dietary fiber; Enriched foods; Ethanol; Food Industry; Food products; Fruit; Fruits; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gastrointestinal diseases; Herbal medicine; Intestine; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - drug therapy; leaves; Medicinal plants; Pain; Pain perception; Permeability; plant wastes; pomace; Review; Seeds; Signs and symptoms; Vegetables; Waste management; fibers; fatty acids; antioxidants; hormones; irritable bowel syndrome; seeds; enzymes; plant wastes; fruits; leaves; vitamins; pomace; medicinal plant
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27082403

During and following the processing of a plant's raw material, considerable amounts are wasted, composted, or redistributed in non-alimentary sectors for further use (for example, some forms of plant waste contribute to biofuel, bioethanol, or biomass production). However, many of these forms of waste still consist of critical bioactive compounds used in the food industry or medicine. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders. The primary treatment is based on symptomatology alleviation and controlled dietary management. Thus, this review aimed to describe the possible relevance of molecules residing in plant waste that can be used to manage IBS and co-occurring symptoms. Significant evidence was found that many forms of fruit, vegetable, and medicinal plant waste could be the source of some molecules that could be used to treat or prevent stool consistency and frequency impairments and abdominal pain, these being the main IBS symptoms. While many of these molecules could be recovered from plant waste during or following primary processing, the studies suggested that enriched food could offer efficient valorization and prevent further changes in properties or stability. In this way, root, stem, straw, leaf, fruit, and vegetable pomaces were found to consist of biomolecules that could modulate intestinal permeability, pain perception, and overall gastrointestinal digestive processes.