Cherry fibers isolated from harvest residues as valuable dietary fiber and functional food ingredients

•Cell wall fibers were extracted from fruits discarded at cherry harvesting.•Chelan, Brooks and Sunburst fibers included polysaccharides, lignin and proteins.•Important functionality related to porosity, composition, cherry variety were shown.•Bioactive molecules like phenolic compounds were an integral part of cherry fibers.•Residues of cherry harvesting are valuable sources of functional food materials.

Residues discarded at cherry fruit harvesting were extracted with ethanol from ‘Chelan’, ‘Brooks’ and ‘Sunburst’ varieties to obtain cherry fibers constituted by the cell wall polysaccharides, applicable as functional food ingredients, additives and/or dietary fibers. Powder properties were evaluated. The highest specific volume, directly related to sample porosity, corresponded to ‘Brooks’ fibers. These results matched the best hydration properties showed by ‘Brooks’. Chemical composition may indicate a hydrogel microstructure for cherry fibers. ‘Chelan’ and ‘Sunburst’ powders showed the highest total phenolics content, 40–63% of which were bound. The FRAP-antioxidant activity determined in water was lower than that expected from the total phenolics content determined after alkaline or acid hydrolysis. Cherry fibers stabilized oil-in-water (ϕ = 50%) emulsions and showed foaming capacity. Beyond some differences observed between varieties, cherry harvesting residues constitute valuable sources of biopolymers and antioxidant compounds potentially useful as functional food ingredients and dietary fiber.