Bioactive Compounds from Chickpea, Olive, and Grape By-Products for Human Health: A Systematic Review

Wheat flour is the major constituent of bakery products consumed as everyday snacks worldwide. However, due to its poor nutritional value, high gluten content, and rapid digestion has been linked to the onset of celiac disease, obesity, diabetes type II, and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, alternative flours from olive and grape by-products as well as pulses, such as chickpea, with higher nutritional value and prebiotic function have been exploited to enrich those products and possibly confer several health benefits due to their high bioactivity. To this end, the bioactivity of grape and olive by-products as well as chickpea is described. This study emphasizes the crucial function of the related compounds in human nutrition and metabolism, particularly in relation to post-prandial glycemia and lipidemia, as their acute perturbation is linked to the development of metabolic diseases. Dietary supplementation with either chickpea, olive or grape pomace extracts or powders in in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated beneficial properties in terms of glucose and lipid metabolism management. Moreover, hepato- and cardio-protective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties were observed. Furthermore, fortification of bakery snacks with chickpea, olive, and grape pomace flours demonstrated promising results in improving the lipid and glycemic profiles in human intervention studies.