Ricerc@Sapienza

The recovery of waste, coming from the agricultural and food sector, for the production of high value-added products has emerged, in the last years, as a key strategy for reduce their elimination. Carrots are the second most popular vegetable and carrot peel and pulp waste represent an important agro-food waste that contain high amounts of phenolic compounds. Many plant phenols have shown antifungal activity against human pathogens. Fungal skin diseases affect 20% -25% of the world's population. The aim of this project is to analyze the carrot waste from the agro-industrial company, to evaluate its activity as antifungals and inhibitors of the biofilm of fungi that cause cutaneous and muco-cutaneous infections such as Candida, Malassezia and dermatophytes. Crude extracts from different waste matrices such as hot peeling, puree-like material obtained from juice production process, water of vapor concentration and purple carrot juice with short shelf life will be performed. The obtained extracts will be characterized and tested against planktonic and sessile cells of Candida albicans, dermatophyes and Malassezia furfur.
The results obtained could lead to identify a new strategy for the production of phytochemicals with antifungal activity. This project could lead to increase the added value of by-products or waste from the transformation process and reduce the problem of waste disposal.