Characteristic of Essential Oils Extracted from the Industrial-Scale Processing By-Products of Agro-foods

Purpose of ReviewNowadays, more interest has been focused on the efficient use of agricultural and food processing post-products. The remaining wastes accumulate in large quantities, resulting in a burden on the environment. However, they possess potentially valuable compounds, making them suitable to recover essential oil from solid waste. This review evaluates the production of essential oils from apple, citrus fruits, sour cherry, corn, rice, wheat, and barley processing wastes, highlighting high levels of bioactive compounds such as tocopherols, phytosterols, and unsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.Recent FindingsAgro-food processing wastes are composed of biologically active compounds including essential oil with different functional characteristics such as antibacterial and anti-angiogenic properties. This could be due to the presence of bioactive compounds including phytosterols, tocochromanols, tocopherol, and carotenoids, as well as the natural antioxidants and the higher amount of unsaturated fatty acids.SummaryAgro-food processing by-products are a valuable source of essential oil, which is rich in mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids as well as bioactive compounds. Findings provide a reference for the development of healthy products and open a new horizon for innovative and profitable utilization of the wastes generated from the industrial-scale processing of agro-foods.