Utilization of pomelo peels to manufacture value-added products: A review

Pomelo peel as a by-product from pomelo consumption is rich in various nutrients and functional compounds, while most of the by-product is disposed as wastes. The utilization of pomelo peels could not only result in valued-added products/ingredients, but also reduce the environmental threats. By mainly reviewing the recent articles, pomelo peels could be directly used to produce candied pomelo peel, tea, jams, etc. Additionally, functional components (essential oils, pectin, polyphenols, etc.) could be extracted from pomelo peels and applied in food, pharmaceutical and chemical fields. The extraction methods exerted important influences on the composition, physicochemical properties, bioactivities and structures of the resultant fractions. Furthermore, pomelo peel was exploited to make adsorbents, bioethanol, etc. For the future investigations, the functionality-or bioactivity-oriented regimes to recovery valuable components from pomelo peel should be developed in an economic, effective and eco-friendly way and their applicability in large-scale production should be addressed.

Automated summary

Pomelo peel, a by-product rich in nutrients and functional compounds, can be utilized to produce valued-added products and reduce environmental threats. Functional components extracted from pomelo peels can be applied in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical fields, with extraction methods influencing the properties of the resultant fractions. Further research should focus on developing functionality- or bioactivity-oriented methods for recovery valuable components from pomelo peel in an economic and eco-friendly way for large-scale production.