Vaccinium Berry Processing Wastes: Composition and Biorefinery Possibilities

To genus Vaccinium belongs ~400 species of different shrubs and trees. Many Vaccinium genus plants bear berries with excellent taste properties and health benefits and thus are intensively cultivated. The most known Vaccinium genus berries are blueberries, cranberries, and lingonberries. Blueberry cultivation is fast growing worldwide, also in the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and other countries. A significant part of these berries are consumed fresh and used for the production of juices. As the waste of Vaccinium berry processing, their press residues (pomace) are formed. Vaccinium berry waste is acidic, with low calorific value, and finds minimal applications for fruit teas preparation and as additives in the bakery. However, there is major application potential of the Vaccinium berry processing waste biorefinery in the valuable substances, as the berry press residues contain many groups of substances with significant application potential. Berry seeds contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and terpenes. Berry skins contain waxes in their outermost layer as well as berry skin lipids. An important group of substances, prospective for Vaccinium berry residue processing are their phenolics and carbohydrates. Considering the application, potential approaches for the valorization of the Vaccinium berry press residues are developed. At first, berry press residues can be milled and used in fruit teas. Their application’s significant potential is the extraction of valuable components, and from the perspective of the market, extraction of phenolics and lipids (oils) are the most prospective. Besides traditional extraction methods, recently environmentally friendly approaches are becoming more popular. To make the berry waste biorefinery realistic, the development of berry waste extract fractionation technologies is important.