Fuente: Foods - Revista científica (MDPI) Foods, Vol. 15, Pages 1266: Agri-Food By-Products in Dairy Sector a Review Focused on Phytochemicals, Extraction Methods Health Benefits and Applications
Foods doi: 10.3390/foods15071266
Authors:
Roxana Nicoleta Ratu
Florina Stoica
Bianca Andreea Balint
Ionuț Dumitru Veleșcu
Ioana Cristina Crivei
Sebastian-Paul Lucaci
Florin Daniel Lipșa
Gabriela Râpeanu

The expansion of the global agri-food industry has led to the generation of large volumes of processing by-products that, although traditionally treated as waste, represent valuable sources of bioactive phytochemicals with potential for sustainable valorisation. This review critically examines the integration of fruit, vegetable, cereal, and dairy processing side streams into functional dairy products. Particular attention is given to recent advances in green and emerging extraction technologies, including ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction, with emphasis on their efficiency, environmental performance, and effects on the stability and recovery of phytochemicals. The review also discusses the health-related properties of these bioactive compounds, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic regulatory effects, in relation to their incorporation into milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream matrices. In addition, key barriers to industrial implementation are assessed, including compound stability, sensory constraints, bioavailability, and current regulatory limitations. Beyond direct fortification, the review also considers broader valorisation pathways, such as the biotechnological production of microbial enzymes from agro-industrial biomass, as relevant strategies for supporting circularity. Overall, this review highlights how sustainable extraction approaches and functional dairy innovation can contribute to improving the nutritional value, resource efficiency, and circularity of the dairy sector.