Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences

Abstract
Health-promoting compounds (HPCs) are bioactive compounds that provide medical and health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of diseases. Some of these compounds are derived from horticultural plants, majorly fruits and berries, and they are renowned for providing benefits such as anti-ageing, protection against some chronic diseases, metabolic disorders like diabetes, degenerative diseases like cancer, protein deficiency, allergy problems and maintenance of body homeostasis. Many of the crops from which HPCs are derived, especially berries and fruits, are highly perishable and vulnerable to a number of factors, which may alter their chemical characteristics and subsequently impact on their bioactivity. One of the major factors is the processing and refining of these crops. The processing of HPCs in fruits and berries is usually done following several methods. These include traditional methods such as crushing, pressing, filtration, heat and cold treatments, and enzymatic treatments. Generally, crushing, pressing and filtration promote the extraction of fruit/berry constituents with retention of the exact chemical constituents. Heat and cold treatments destroy micro-organisms, enhance preservation and help to dissolve product components. Enzymatic treatments enhance bioactive compounds and stabilize yields. Moreso, crushing results in the disruption of the fruit/berry skins leading to chemical loss of bioactive compounds; heat and cold treatments destroy enzyme actions, while enzymatic treatments degrade cell walls and vacuolar membranes. Novel techniques in processing HPCs include ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and pulsed electrical field (PEF) extraction. In the up-coming years, it is anticipated that there will be breakthroughs in the effective processing of horticultural products of therapeutic importance through the combination of novel techniques, sophisticated omics tools with automation-related software technologies.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds; Berries; Fruits; Health-promoting compounds; Novel techniques; Traditional techniques; Therapeutics.

How to cite this article:
Ariyo DO, Olowolaju ED, Ayodele-Asowata AM, Oyeyipo SO, Afolabi AM and Atilola KM (2025). Processing of health-promoting compounds in berries and fruits for therapeutic
use. Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 15(1): 926 – 936.

*Correspondence: E-mail: aolowolaju@unimed.edu.ng Phone: +2348165016427

Processing of health-promoting compounds in berries and fruits for therapeutic use
Damilola O. Ariyo ¹, Ezekiel D. Olowolaju ²*, Abiola M. Ayodele-Asowata ², Stephen O. Oyeyipo ¹, Akinjide M. Afolabi ³ and Kehinde M. Atilola ¹

¹Perishable Crops Research Department, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
²Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Ondo State, Nigeria.
³Department of Integrated Science, Federal College of Education, Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.