## 3 Results and Discussion
### Potential Applications of Gavina(r) Watermelon WDF  
In addition to the environmental benefits of sustainable development, the enhancement of watermelon WDF is extremely interesting because of its numerous beneficial effects on human health. The lycopene and \(\beta\)-carotene contents, confirmed using HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis (Section 3.8), make the freshly prepared sample (WDF_t0) a source of antioxidants that protect against several health issues [4, 44, 47], as outlined in the previous sections. Moreover, the food industry is increasingly looking for dietary fiber sources, as they can physically and chemically modify food preparations and enhance specific sought-after properties [53, 54]. Dietary fibers also have numerous health benefits, since their consumption is associated with the prevention of several diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colon cancer [11, 12, 13, 54]. In recent years, the consumer demand for foods enriched with natural supplements capable of conferring health benefits has increased significantly [53, 54]. Consumers are more concerned about the consumption of healthy foods with a high content of dietary fibers, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals, and low-calorie intake. Gavina(r) Watermelon WDF not only fully satisfies this demand, but is also extremely low-cost, since it can be recovered from pre-waste fruits or from industrial processing that considers it a by-product. Therefore, this represents an opportunity for the food industry. The products in which dietary fibers are mostly included are bakery goods [54, 55, 56, 57], beverages, dairy products, frozen dairy products [58], pasta, meat [59], and soups. For example, several studies used fruit powder to partially replace traditional wheat flour to produce biscuits [55, 57, 60]. The final products had significantly higher antioxidant activity, mineral and fiber contents, and reduced starch content. In several studies, the inclusion of fruit pomace powder led to a significant increase in sensory characteristics, i.e., aroma and flavor [58, 61, 62, 63]. In fact, they impart fruits notes \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Compound Class** & **WDF\_t0 TIC Area \(\times\)10\({}^{6}\)** & **WDF\_t1 TIC Area \(\times\)10\({}^{6}\)** & **WDF\_t2 TIC Area \(\times\)10\({}^{6}\)** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline ALC & 369.2 \(\pm\) 1.0 & 184.1 \(\pm\) 1.6 & 173.6 \(\pm\) 1.0 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline EST & 50.6 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 142.0 \(\pm\) 0.6 & 98.3 \(\pm\) 0.5 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline KET & 128.3 \(\pm\) 0.5 & 189.0 \(\pm\) 0.9 & 181.0 \(\pm\) 0.7 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline OTH & 131.9 \(\pm\) 0.7 & 120.6 \(\pm\) 0.7 & 61.7 \(\pm\) 0.6 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline AHA & 111.2 \(\pm\) 0.8 & 66.4 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 20.2 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline ALD & 1109 \(\pm\) 3 & 608.5 \(\pm\) 2.3 & 940.4 \(\pm\) 1.9 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline ACD & 33.5 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 335.6 \(\pm\) 1.2 & 644.2 \(\pm\) 1.1 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline TER & 2807 \(\pm\) 1 & 659.2 \(\pm\) 1.8 & 318.7 \(\pm\) 1.0 & \(p<\) 0.05 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 9: Compound classes identified in the HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis of the Gavina® water-melon pomace WDF: freshly prepared (t0), t1 (30 days), and t2 (24 months). and improve consumer acceptability of certain food products, such as cakes, ice cream, beverages, and confectionery. The high potential of watermelon WDF can also been extended to other sectors, such as animal feeds and nutraceuticalticals [62, 64, 65]. The use of fruit pomace for feeding can lead to significant changes in animal growth and health. However, carotenoid degradation, highlighted using HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis, leads to a decrease in the antioxidant content of Gavina(r) watermelon WDF. Therefore, some of the beneficial effects were reduced over time, but those associated with dietary fiber remained unchanged. To maximize its benefits, it must be consumed within a short time after preparation. A possible solution may concern changing the storage method.