Upcycling Strategies to Improve the Nutritional Value of Staple Food

This study investigates four agri-food by-products from broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, and pumpkin, processed into powders through either an industrial or a lab-scale drying and milling process. The resulting powders were evaluated for their nutritional characteristics, revealing that industrial processing generally produced higher-quality powders, likely due to improved moisture removal and reduced thermal damage. Consequently, the four industrial powders were selected for use in the fortification of pasta and gnocchi, which were then analyzed for their nutritional profile in terms of total polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and dietary fiber content. To facilitate a comprehensive comparison, a global quality index (GQI) was developed to integrate the different parameters. The index accounted not only for the nutritional enhancement provided by each by-product but also for the potential sensory drawbacks associated with fortification, such as color changes, texture modifications, or flavor impacts. This dual weighting allowed for a balanced evaluation of feasibility and acceptability. The GQI enabled the identification of artichoke as the most suitable by-product for each fortified food matrix, as well as gnocchi, between the two products, as the best overall response to fortification. This approach provides a structured method for selecting optimal by-product ingredients and offers valuable insights for future upcycling strategies aimed at improving the nutritional quality of staple foods.