Eco-friendly valorization of fruit peels: Physicochemical and functional characterization for feed industry applications
bioactive compounds; Fruit peel; functional properties; physicochemical properties; waste management
The fruit processing industry generates large amounts of fruit peels as waste. These peels, however, are rich in bioactive compounds like flavonoids and phenolics, with excellent antioxidant properties. Utilizing them as feed ingredients provides an eco-friendly waste management solution and adds value to the processing chain. This study aimed to characterize the physicochemical (e.g., pH, ash, moisture content, crude lipid, crude fibre, carbohydrates content) and functional properties (e.g., bulk density, tap density, flowability, porosity, water and oil absorption capacities, foaming capacity, stability, and least gelation concentration) of selected fruit peels such as Carica papaya, Ananas comosus, Musa acuminata, and Punica granatum. The findings highlight the potential of the selected fruit peels as valuable feed ingredients. The low bulk density and tap density in M. acuminata peels (0.29 0.01 g. cm-3 and 0.31 0.01 g. cm-3, respectively) helps in enhanced palatability. M. acuminata peels also showed excellent water and oil absorption (5.30 0.10 mL. g-1 and 1.570.05 mL. g-1) and porosity (71.15 2.22), indicating their role as effective food hydrocolloids, improving digestibility and binding properties. Notably, P. granatum, C. papaya and A. comosus peels also demonstrated strong performance across all selected parameters, suggesting their utility in the feed industry. While the ash content was notably high in M. acuminata peels, all fruit peels exhibited high fibre content, which is beneficial for digestive health and gut functionality in livestock. These properties contribute to better feed stability, energy retention, and eco-friendly production, promoting sustainable waste valorization practices. 2025 University of Food Technologies Plovdiv. All rights reserved.
Gopalraaj, Jhanani; Velayudhannair, Krishnakumar
Food Science and Applied Biotechnology;Volume;8;Issue;1;pp.37-46
All Open Access; Hybrid Gold Open Access
https://doi.org/10.30721/fsab2025.v8.i1.443 https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105000959202?origin=resultslist
Gopalraaj J., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Hosur Main Road, Dharmaram Post, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560 029, India; Velayudhannair K., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Hosur Main Road, Dharmaram Post, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560 029, India