| Summary: | Potato is a source of different bioactive compounds, and the potato transformation industry produces conspicuous quantities of potato peels as waste. In this context, the objective of this research was twofold: (i) the evaluation of the recovery of bioactive compounds from organic potato byproducts through an innovative multistep green extraction process; (ii) to evaluate the preservation during storage of the main quality-physicochemical parameters of minimally processed apples treated with two different natural extracts obtained. The potato extracts were obtained by solid CO<sub>2</sub> cryomaceration followed by solid/liquid extraction based on water or 10% ethanol/water solutions. The efficacy of potato extracts, with or without 1% of citric acid, was tested in comparison with traditional preserving compounds in minimally processed apple preparation. All the extracts were characterized by a high antioxidant power and were rich in phenol compounds, showing a good activity in keeping the qualitative parameters of fresh-cut apple. A significant anti-browning effect as well as a slowing down of the softening of fruits during storage were observed. The obtained results suggest the suitability of the potato extracts as antioxidant additives for fresh-cut fruits, thus avoiding the use of unsafe chemicals.
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