Pilot Extraction and Fibers Characterization of Canning Industry By-Products

The exploitation of natural fiber resources could be associated with the development of innovative technologies in several fields (food, pharmaceutical, medical, etc.). In this context, canning industry by-products (pepper pomace and tomato pomace) were chosen to extract dietary fibers on a laboratory scale, then on a pilot scale. The raw materials were collected, dried and crushed. A physicochemical characterization was made and the extraction of dietary fibers was done in aqueous medium. The obtained fibers were characterized by the measurement of the fibers yield, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that pepper marc and tomato marc contain more than 40% of dietary fibers. The pilot-scale extraction parameters were chosen after comparison of extraction results under different operating conditions. The extrapolation of the extraction to the pilot scale was carried out successfully. The results proved that pepper marc and tomato marc have a considerable richness in fibers. The FTIR analysis showed that the fibers of the pepper pomace and tomato pomace are lignocellulosic and that the tested protocols preserve the structure of the raw materials. SEM micrographs of tomato fibers and pepper fibers show ordered fibrous forms. These fibers have the morphology of cellulosic ones. This pilot-scale fibers extraction showed comparable results with that obtained on the laboratory scale. In fact, the passage on scale has no effect on the chemical structure of all fibers samples.