New functional bread with olive mill wastewater

Agricultural wastes and food by-products often contain high concentrations of bioactive compounds. These wastes not only impose disposal costs on producers, but also pose environmental challenges. However, the recovery of these bioactive compounds is essential to promote a circular economy. The aim of this study is to use olive mill wastewater (OOMW) as an ingredient for the production of functional bread, to reduce agro-industrial waste and improve the nutritional value of bread. All the activities were carried out within the NODES project "Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile", in particular in the SADAIFO - PLANT (Sustainable and digital innovation for foods of PALNT origin) within the PNRR. A multidisciplinary approach was used to determine the characteristics and evaluate their effects on the chemical and microbiological properties, antioxidant and sensory activities of the added bread. Therefore, sourdough propagation, dough production and baking, starch digestibility of breads, volatile compounds by HS-SPME-GC/MS, LC-MS/MS analysis of major polyphenols in breads, antioxidant activity and sensory analysis were evaluated. In addition to a traditional bread as a "control", two types of bread were produced using 50% OOMW and 50% sterile tap water and a third using 100% OOMW. These results highlight the significant role of mill wastewater in enriching the polyphenol content and improving the flavour profile, ultimately turning the final product into a functional food with additional health benefits.