Charis M. Galanakis

Galanakis Laboratories, Chania, Greece · Research & Innovation

Food wastes are today considered as a cheap source of valuable components since the existent technologies allow the recovery of target compounds and their recycling inside the food chain as functional additives in different products. Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is generated from olive oil extraction systems. It has high added value compounds namely...

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the possibility of utilizing ultrafiltration (UF) for the fractionation of phenolic compounds recovered from winery sludge (WS) and their separation from other co-extracted components. Thereby, two hydro-ethanolic extracts (a diluted and a concentrated) were prepared, using WS as an initial materia...

Food wastes are today considered as a cheap source of valuable components since the existent technologies allow the recovery of target compounds and their recycling inside food chain as functional additives in different products. The goal of the current article is to classify food waste sources and high-added value ingredients prior to exploring th...

The present invention relates to a process for isolating soluble dietary fibers and valuable polyphenols from olive mill wastewater, wherein the olive mill wastewater is defatted by removing the fat by centrifugation and concentrated by removing the water content. The defatted and dehydrated mixture is extracted using ethanol and an organic acid an...

The objective of the current study is to investigate the clarification of two high-added value products (pectin containing solution and phenol containing beverage) recovered from olive mill wastewater. For this purpose, both liquids were processed with four types of ultrafiltration (100, 25, 10 and 2 kDa) and one nanofiltration membranes under opti...

The main objective of this research was to identify plant species with possible bioactivities based on their total phenol content, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Therefore, different parts of forty‐two plant species grown in the Mediterranean region were extracted with aqueous ethanol solutions to prepare extracts with antioxidant and a...

Purified soya bean proteins (glycinin and conglycinin) are known to form amyloid‐like aggregates in vitro at a higher temperature. Soya beans (chunks) are textured proteinaceous vegetables made from defatted soya flour by heating it above 100°C and extruding under high pressure. Therefore, it was assumed that subjecting the soya bean proteins to hi...

Nowadays, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, consumers increasingly seek foods that not only fulfill the basic need (i.e., satisfying hunger) but also enhance human health and well-being. As a result, more attention has been given to some kinds of foods, termed "superfoods," making big claims about their richness in valuable nutrients and bioact...

Gel beads are formed when alginate acid reacts with divalent cations, particularly Ca2+. As a result of this feature, it is one of the best materials for making gel beads. Furthermore, it swells only slightly at acidic pH, resulting in stable alginate acid beads, but swells and dissolves rapidly at higher pH values, leading to pH-responsive release...

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused several negative impacts on global human health and the world’s economy. Food and seafood safety and security were among the principal challenges and causes of concern for the food industry and consumers during the spread of this global pandemic. This article focused on the effects of COVID-19 pand...

The aim of this study was to improve the saturation solubility, dissolution profile and oral bioavailability of amiodarone hydrochloride (AMH), a highly lipophilic drug. Stabilizer (Pluronic F-127)-coated AMH nanocrystals (AMH-NCs) were developed by a combination of antisolvent precipitation and homogenization techniques. The optimized formulation...

The processing of maize generates a considerable amount of maize husks which might have biological activities since most of the waste or by‐products are rich sources of bioactive compounds. Nonetheless, no study has investigated the phenolic compounds of maize husk extracts and the feasibility of encapsulating the phenolic compounds of maize husk....

West African countries have made impressive progress in fighting against malnutrition and hunger and ensuring food quality and varying food choices. This paper aimed for the first time to evaluate the determinants of diet choice by the populations of West Africa, especially those of Benin, Togo, and Nigeria. The data collected from 473 people relat...

The food sector in the post-pandemic era & innovative technologies tackling food loss and food waste.

Fruit processing wastes are often discarded without being exploited as a sustainable source of phytochemicals. Red-fleshed pulp of pink guava is rich in phytochemicals, including lycopene and pectin. Conventionally, their extraction from the biomass involves high consumption of organic solvent, complex extraction steps, and sophisticated extraction...

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a tropical fruit, well recognized for its nutritional value and many health benefits. It is frequently used in the preparation of processed products and extraction of papain enzyme. All of these processes discard the papaya seeds and peels which can reach 20% of the fruit weight. Consequently, there has been increasing...

Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) is a traditional spice worldwide prized for its taste, odor, color, and promising bioactive compounds. The acidic natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) constituted of choline chloride with lactic acid (CHLA), acetic acid (CHAC), and tartaric acid (CHTA), and an addition of 20% water in the NADESs were tested for their eff...

Climate change, the growth in world population, high levels of food waste and food loss, and the risk of new disease or pandemic outbreaks are examples of the many challenges that threaten future food sustainability and the security of the planet and urgently need to be addressed. The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, has been gaining...

Kinkeliba (C. micranthum) is a tropical plant widely used for its tremendous phytochemicals and biological activities. In the present study, three green carboxylic acid-based natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were used to assess the extraction of phenolic compounds in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), indiv...

This review article revises the sustainable practices and applications to valorize valuable components recovered from cereal processing by-products. After introducing cereal processing by-products, their healthy compounds, and corresponding functional properties, the article explores reutilization opportunities of by-products emphasizing specific s...

Industries in the agro-food sector are the largest generators of waste in the world. Agro-food wastes and by products originate from the natural process of senescence, pretreatment, handling, and manufacturing processes of food and beverage products. Notably, most of the wastes are produced with the transformation of raw materials (such as fruits,...

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a health crisis and repetitive lockdowns that disrupted different economic and societal segments. As the world has placed hope on the vaccination progress to bring back the socio-economic “normal,” this article explores how the bioeconomy can enhance the resilience and sustainability of bio-based, f...

Grape processing by-products (particularly grape pomace) are known to contain high amounts of phenolic compounds. To improve the extraction of phenols from this by-product, it is necessary to develop a method and set and model optimal conditions for their extraction. By applying the design of experiments (DoE) approach, optimal experimental factors...

Cottage cheese, extensively consumed worldwide, contains coagulated milk protein (casein), produced through boiling and acidification of milk. Casein forms amyloid or amyloid-like structures at high temperatures and low pH. Due to the similarities in the preparation of casein amyloids and cottage cheese, we hypothesized the presence of amyloid or a...

Autumn olive fruits were osmo-dehydrated in sucrose solution at 70 ◦C under vacuum and atmospheric pressure. The mass transfer kinetics data were applied to the models of Azuara, Crank, Page, and Peleg. The Peleg model was the best-fitted model to predict the water loss and solid gain of both treatments. The vacuum application decreased the effecti...

Rosa pimpinellifolia, commonly known as the burnet rose, has shown huge functional properties and industrial potential. In this present study, the convective drying process was optimized to enhance the quality, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds. The influence of drying conditions on the drying and rehydration kinetics and mathematical mo...

The human immune system is the first line of defense in the prevention of viruses and diseases, and several immune response mechanisms are engaged at the onset of a pathogenic attack. In this review, we elucidate the human immune system as a critical element in protecting humans from COVID-19 by describing the immune process, explaining how the imm...

Cornsilk is maize waste containing phenolic compounds. In this study, freeze-drying, spray-drying, and microwave-drying techniques were evaluated for the encapsulation of cornsilk's phenolic compounds using maltodextrin as wall material. The results of antioxidant properties showed that freeze-drying was more efficient than microwave-drying and spr...

Autumn olive fruits are a rich source of nutrients and functional compounds, making them functional foods against many diseases and cancers. To increase the consumption, its processing, and its transformation into new products would help spread them to the consumer’s table. In this study, after giving an overview of the physicochemical characterist...

Eggshell membrane (ESM) is a natural proteinaceous by-product of the food industry, especially in the pasteurized egg industry, resulting in the availability of much discarded egg waste. In the literature, eggshell (ES) and ESM usage for their adsorbent properties to remove various organic and inorganic hazardous chemicals, especially from wastewat...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a new era in the efficacy of the food supply chain, while the consequences of this new era on humanity, the economy, and the food sector are still under examination. For example, food security is one vital aspect of food systems which is directly affected. This review summarizes food security during epi...

Background COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global lockdown that has abruptly shut down core businesses and caused a worldwide recession. The forecast for a smooth transition for the agri-food and drink industry is, at best, alarming. Given that COVID-19 shutdown multiple core services (such as aviation, food services, supply chains, and export and i...

Food processing waste is a potential resource of a variety of bioactive compounds. Carrot peel is a good example of phytonutrient-rich agroindustrial byproducts generated from the processing of carrots. The conventional methods for the extraction of phytonutrients typically involve large volume of organic solvents, complex procedures and expensive...

In this study, the effects of gelatin films enriched with 2% of citrus (orange (OSE) and lemon (LSE)) seed extracts (CSE) on the quality of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets during refrigerated storage (4±1°C) for 15 days were determined. The results showed that lipid oxidation delayed in OSE and LSE groups compared with control and gelatin f...

This review article introduces nutrition and functional food ingredients, explaining the widely cited terms of bioactivity, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability. The factors affecting these critical properties of food components are analyzed together with their interaction and preservation during processing. Ultimately, the effect of emerging (non...

Oat represents an important agricultural resource whose potential use in bakery industry is insufficiently exploited. The investigation of this potential starts from the transformation of oat kernel into flour and ends with obtaining the wheat-oat mixtures bakery products. Oat flour contains no gluten, but provides significant amounts of lipids and...

Isoflavones are phytoestrogens with various types of biological activity. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is the most abundant source of isoflavones in human nutrition. The present study aims to classify the different soybean genotypes according to their isoflavone contents. HPLC analysis of isoflavone content in 22 soybean genotypes was performed...

Not only the product yield of the different technologies, but also scale-up boundaries, product safety, and overall cost govern the industrialization of recovery processing. Improved process efficiency is considered in terms of cost minimization via reducing processing steps and restricting overall energy consumption. The emerging nonthermal techno...

The industrialization of processes dealing with the recovery of compounds from food wastes includes numerous issues such as laboratory research, transfer to pilot plan and full-scale production, protection of intellectual properties, and development of definite applications. These parameters are necessary in order to ensure the sustainability of th...

Food wastes are mixtures constituted from different phases, whereas their components can be divided into macro- and micromolecular groups. In a third level of division, components can be further classified according to their structural characteristics and physicochemical properties. This simple consideration, moving from macroscopic to micromolecul...

Food authenticity is an emerging issue around the world, which contributed to increase the awareness of communities about what they eat and how and where it is produced. Muslim and Jews societies prohibit the inclusion of nonhalal and nonkosher components such as porcine materials in any food. Therefore, analytical methods that can detect with accu...

One of the biggest challenges in managing the food sector during a pandemic crisis is sustaining a robust food security system and adopting the right strategies in correlating the consumers’ needs and requirements with those of food safety, the producers, the distribution chain, the economic environment, and waste management. The restrictions on pe...

Invited speech "Global Challenges in Focus: Innovative technologies tackling food loss", Onine, WIPO GREEN, Geneva.

Introduction: The number of severe food offenses being perpetrated by a group of organized criminals has been an increasing concern for food safety and environmental forensic professionals all over the world. Food adulteration is a significant concern globally because it is directly involved with consumers’ health, lifestyle, religion, and economic...

As media reports have noted, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated market mainstreaming of immune-boosting food bioactives, supplements, and nutraceuticals. However, most studies reporting on the potential of bioactives against COVID-19 transmission have been uploaded as preprints with little opportunity to revise content for benefit and impact. Th...

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have got huge interest as new green and sustainable solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants in recent decades. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of hydrophilic DES for the extraction of anthocyanin and polyphenol antioxidants from Roselle. A natural hydrophilic DES c...

Agro-industrial waste is a largely untapped natural resource of bioactive compounds including carotenoids and pectin. However, conventional solvent extraction involves the excessive use of organic solvents, costly equipment, and tedious operation. These limitations of conventional extraction methods could be prospectively overcome by the carotenoid...

COVID-19 pandemic is on a trajectory to cause catastrophic global upheaval with the potential to alter geopolitical and socio-economic norms. Many countries are frantically responding with staggering financial stimulus recovery initiatives. This opinion-paper reviews challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions for the post-COVID-19 era that...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a new era in the world while we still figure out the consequences in different aspects of our daily life. The food supply chain and the food industry do not comprise an exception. Scope and approach This review summarizes the possible transmission ways of COVID-19 through the foods, food supply chain,...

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19, broadly referred to as “coronavirus”) a global pandemic, while thousands of infections and deaths are reported daily. The current article explores the food systems in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. It provides insights about the properties of bioac...

Carotenoids from different food sources particularly fruits and vegetables are an important contributor to a healthy diet. These compounds have been associated with the reduced risks of several diseases such as cancer, cataracts, and macular degradations. Due to their multiple health prospects, carotenoids gain significant interest in the pharmaceu...

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world and it is necessary to develop efficient extraction methods for separation of its bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of saffron major compounds – picrocrocin, safranal and crocin- through response surface methodology (RSM). A central com...

The prospect of recovering high added-value compounds from the non-consumed materials of food processing is a story started few decades ago. The first successful efforts dealt with the recovery of oil from olive kernel, the production of essential oils, flavonoids, sugars and pectin from citrus peel, as well as the recapture of protein concentrates...

The redfleshed pulp discarded from pink guava puree industry is a rich source of lycopene and pectin. In this study, we developed a facile extraction process employing water as the primary extraction medium to isolate the lycopene and pectin from pink guava decanter. When the decanter was suspended in water, the complexation of lycopene and pectin...

Commercialization efforts for food waste recovery & biobased industries

Background: Deep-fat frying is a common cooking method where fat or oil is used as the heat transfer medium, in direct contact with the food at a temperature above the boiling point of water. During the deep fat frying method, oil not only serves as a heating medium but also absorbs into food, increasing the total fat content. As a result, consumpt...

Background The current trend in the food industries is the utilization of natural additives that exist inherently in foods and sound healthier to the consumers, Scope and approach This review explores the possibility of utilizing natural, phenol-rich extracts recovered from olive mill wastewater to fortify meat and meat products as well as to incr...

Polyphenols recovered from olive mill wastewater and other natural antioxidants [ascorbic acid, tocopherols mixture (α-,β-,γ- and δ-) and α-tocopherol] were mixed in different concentrations with bread and rusks, stored over a period of 20 days and 12 weeks, respectively, and assayed periodically to different microbiological assays (i.e. Total coli...

Abstract Barley is the basic raw material for brewing. Its chemical composition, brewing, and technological indices are highly determinative for beer quality and the economic efficiency of the brewing process. During the process of malting and brewing, the by-products left after separation of the wort are rich in protein, fibers, arabinoxylans, β-g...

This study tests the efficacy of polyphenols (recovered from olive mill wastewater) against ascorbic acid, tocopherols mixture and α-tocopherol for the prevention in oil oxidation. All antioxidants were mixed or emulsified at different concentrations (500–3000 mg/L) with an extra virgin and a refined kernel olive oil, prior heated in the oven at 10...

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves are a natural source of diterpenic glycosides, and various bioactive compounds. The objectives were to characterize antioxidants and steviol glycosides in the extracts obtained from Stevia after “green” pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE). PHWE extracts were obtained at different temperatures (100, 130, 160 °C);...

Cereal by-products represent serious economic and environmental challenges but at the same time they contain extensive amounts of potentially reusable materials and energy. The development of innovative technologies able to solve microbiological, technological, and economic challenges is a key target for a full-scale valorization of cereal by-produ...

This chapter provides an overview of the outcomes of earlier chapters toward the development of sustainable applications for the recovery and reutilization of high added-value compounds from cereal processing underutilized streams. Starting with a short introduction, the case scenario of oat processing and available options are analyzed, prior to e...

Sustainable Recovery and Reutilization of Cereal Processing By-Products addresses topics associated with the sustainable management of cereal manufacturing. Emphasis is placed on current, advisable practices, general valorization techniques of cereal processing by-products, and the functional properties of healthy cereal by-product components that...

Numerous epidemiological evidence has shown that the consumption of carotenoid-rich food lowers the risk of chronic diseases including various types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Most of the benefits of carotenoids are due to their robust antioxidant effects, which fuel the growth of today’s existing carotenoid-rich formulations. Progress...