Wine waste as a potential source of bioactive compounds

In recent years, agro-industrial waste has been a source of high-added-value natural compounds. Wastes that have previously caused problems for the industry are now being used as a cheap and easily accessible substrate. One of the agro-industrial residues produced worldwide comes from grapes, mainly from the wine industry, with 75 million tons of fruit produced per year, 80% of which is used for the production of different types of wine. These residues of the wine industry may be a source of various bioactive compounds that are synthesized by specialized cells of the plant and have a different structure and composition that confer special functions on the plant or its fruit, including protection against adverse conditions. The recovery of these compounds allows their application in different industrial sectors, such as food and pharmaceuticals. Because of their recognized pharmacological activity, such as antiinflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, and antioxidant activities, they also have hypoglycemic effects and positive effects on the central nervous system. This chapter presents the potential of wine waste for the recovery of compounds with significant biological properties through fermentation as an extractive and biotransformation methodology.