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In this study, the efficacy of dragon fruit peel (DFP) powder as antioxidant dietary fibre (ADF), at two different concentrations (T1-1.5% and T2-3.0%), on quality improvement and susceptibility to lipid oxidation of chicken nuggets during 20 days of refrigerated storage was assessed. DFP, rich in dietary fibre (56.91%) with higher insoluble dietary fibre, phenolics (36–39 mgGAE/100 g) content and possessing good radical scavenging activity as well as reducing power, contained 10.36% protein, 4.48% fat and 2.34% ash. HPLC analysis revealed presence of high concentrations of gallic and ferulic acid, among the phenolics. Incorporation of DFP in nuggets although decreased the pH but improved emulsion stability as well as cooking yield and had higher protein, ash and lower fat content. Further, the treated nuggets had significantly (p < 0.05) higher dietary fibre and total phenolics content than control. Incorporation of DFP decreased the hardness, gumminess and chewiness and improved (p < 0.05) the products’ redness values. Sensory evaluation of the products revealed significant improvement in the appearance score and non-significant (p > 0.05) increase in the scores of other attributes compared to control samples. DFP significantly decreased lipid peroxidation, odour scores and microbial load in chicken nuggets during 20 days of storage period. From the study, it could be deduced that DFP rich in bioactive components had positive influence on the nutritional quality of chicken nuggets and could also be used as ADF in muscle food without affecting the quality and acceptability of products.

In this work, activated carbon was synthesized by the carbonization of kendu fruit peel followed by chemical activation using ammonium carbonate as an activating agent to get modified kendu fruit peel (MKFP). The SEM and FESEM images of the biomaterial illustrated a highly porous honeycomb-like structure, further supported by the N 2 sorption isotherm analysis. The FTIR spectra specified the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups such as carboxyl, carbonyl, and hydroxyl on the adsorbent surface. Batch experiments were performed for the optimization of methylene blue (MB) dye removal. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 144.9 mg g −1 . No desorption was found because the adsorbent surface was bonded with the chromophoric group of the MB dye by means of strong chemical interaction evident from the high adsorption energy ( E  = 10.42 kJ mol −1 ) and enthalpy change (∆H  = 42.7 kJ mol −1 ). Hence, the MKFP has the potential to act as an efficient bioadsorbent for MB dye removal. Graphical abstract

In this study, we extracted holocellulose from passion fruit peel (PFP) and used it to prepare cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Subsequently, we reduced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the CNFs in situ. Using univariate and orthogonal tests, the best holocellulose yield was 56.95% under the following conditions: PFP (3 g) combined with pectinase (0.2 g), with reaction time (50 min), reaction temperature (40 °C), and fixed pH of 4.8. CNFs were obtained by adding 15 U/mL cellulase to the holocellulose material and maintaining at 50 °C for 15 h. The CNFs and silver nitrate were used as the substrate with glucose as the reducing agent to synthesize AgNPs. The obtained AgNP–CNFs complex exhibited excellent antibacterial properties, i.e., the diameter of the bacteriostatic zone reached 1.95 ± 0.08 cm in Escherichia coli. The AgNP–CNFs can be used in the food, medical, and chemical industries.

The present work investigates the primary adsorption mechanisms of lead (II) and cadmium (II) cations onto pomelo fruit peel (PFP) from aqueous solution. pH, adsorption time, ion strength, and initial metal cation concentrations, which are factors affecting the uptake of these cations, are investigated. Results show that pH and ion strengths strongly affect the removal of these cations from aqueous solution. Different isotherm adsorption models, such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips, are utilized to fit the experimental data in order to determine the adsorption in nature. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities are found to be 47.18 mg/g for lead (II) and 13.35 mg/g for cadmium (II). Kinetic and thermodynamic studies based on a combination of FT-IR and TG-DSC spectroscopies demonstrate that electrostatic attraction plays a primary adsorption mechanism of lead (II) and cadmium (II) cations onto pomelo fruit peel.

The health benefits associated with a diet rich in fruit and vegetables include reduction of the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, that are becoming prevalent in the aging human population. Triterpenoids, polycyclic compounds derived from the linear hydrocarbon squalene, are widely distributed in edible and medicinal plants and are an integral part of the human diet. As an important group of phytochemicals that exert numerous biological effects and display various pharmacological activities, triterpenoids are being evaluated for use in new functional foods, drugs, cosmetics and healthcare products. Screening plant material in the search for triterpenoid-rich plant tissues has identified fruit peel and especially fruit cuticular waxes as promising and highly available sources. The chemical composition, abundance and biological activities of triterpenoids occurring in cuticular waxes of some economically important fruits, like apple, grape berry, olive, tomato and others, are described in this review. The need for environmentally valuable and potentially profitable technologies for the recovery, recycling and upgrading of residues from fruit processing is also discussed.

Fruit peels are a rich source of cellulose, hemicellulose, phenolic compounds, and terpenic compounds. Thus, they have the potential to be a novel renewable, sustainable, and low-cost raw material (source) for the production of several value-added products based on framework and concepts such as waste hierarchy that includes biofertilizers, dietary fiber, animal feed, industrial enzymes, substrate for the bioactive compounds production, synthesis of nanomaterials, and clean energy (from residual biomass). With a view of evaluating the environmental burden of biorefinery, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed for a representative citrus waste (CW) biorefinery. The functional unit used for LCA was set as 2500 kg of CW processed. The overall GWP was observed to be 937.3 kg CO 2 equivalent per 2500 kg of CW processed. On further analysis of the environmental impact, it was found that different steps contributed significantly, as shown by the various environmental indicator values. Alternative advanced process intensification technologies like microwave and ultrasound-assisted steps replacing the conventional steps when implemented show considerable reduction in environmental indicator values. The variations in the contribution to environmental indicators should be considered during the design and process selection of biorefineries.

A fully natural and biodegradable film (MC 5 /ZA 5 -DE 3% ) was developed using methylcellulose (MC) (a plant-based biopolymer with excellent film-forming properties and biocompatibility), zinc alginate (ZA) (derived from brown seaweed, served as a biodegradable component with excellent film-forming properties and enhanced mechanical strength through cross-linking with Zn 2+ ), and anthocyanin-rich dragon fruit peel extract (DE) (a natural antioxidant with pH sensitivity and colorimetric properties). The film exhibited distinct color changes from purple to green across a range of pH-buffered solutions, demonstrating its pH sensitivity. The antimicrobial activity of the film showed a significant inhibition zone against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , with a 99.99% bacterial reduction. The incorporation of Zn 2+ also improved the flame retardancy of the film, reducing flammability by 34.5%. Optical analysis showed that the MC 5 /ZA 5 -DE 3% film exhibited excellent UV-blocking performance due to the synergistic effect of Zn 2 ⁺ and anthocyanins, which enhanced UV absorption (200–400 nm) and reduced visible light transmittance, making it an effective UV barrier with acceptable transparency for packaging. Furthermore, the film served as an intelligent indicator of food spoilage, changing color from purple to green with increased storage time, indicating elevated total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) levels. The MC 5 /ZA 5 -DE 3% film is non-toxic and suitable for large-scale industrial production, highlighting its potential for intelligent food packaging applications.

The recycling fruit wastes of banana, pomelo, and mangosteen as biosorbents for eliminating methylene blue dye (MBD) were investigated in this study by synthesizing 3 materials of banana ( Musa ABB cv. Kluai ‘Namwa’) powder beads (BPB), pomelo ( Citrus maxima (Burm.f.) Merr) powder beads (PPB), and mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana Linn) powder beads (MPB) and characterizing with several techniques. Their MBD adsorption performances were examined by a series of batch experiments, desorption experiments, adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics studies. MPB had a higher specific surface area and pore volume than BPB and PPB, whereas its pore size was smaller than theirs. All materials had amorphous structures. BPB had rough surfaces, whereas PPB had coarse surfaces with layer structures. MPB had rough surfaces with irregular shapes. They consisted of carbon, oxygen, calcium, chloride, and sodium. The chemical functional groups of hydroxyl, methine, carbonyl, and ether were detected in all materials. The pH pzc of BPB, PPB, and MPB were 5.41, 5.00, and 5.05. MPB showed a higher MBD removal efficiency of 98.92% and adsorption capacity ( q e ) of 6.59 mg/g than BPB and PPB, and all materials could be reused for 3 cycles with the adsorption efficiency of more than 61%. Their adsorption patterns and mechanisms were described by Freundlich and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. BPB and MPB were endothermic processes, whereas PPB was an exothermic process. Graphical abstract

Fruit peels, also known as rinds or skins, are wastes readily available in large quantities. Here, we have used pineapple (PA) and watermelon (WM) peels as substrates in the culture media (containing 5 % sucrose and 0.7 % ammonium sulfate) for production of bacterial cellulose (BC). The bacterial culture used in the study, Komagataeibacter hansenii produced BC under static conditions as a pellicle at the air–liquid interface in standard Hestrin and Schramm (HS) medium. The yield obtained was ~3.0 g/100 ml (on a wet weight basis). The cellulosic nature of the pellicle was confirmed by CO₂, H₂O, N₂, and SO₂ (CHNS) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the pellicle revealed the presence of flat twisted ribbonlike fibrils (70–130 nm wide). X-ray diffraction analysis proved its crystalline nature (matching cellulose I) with a crystallinity index of 67 %. When K. hansenii was grown in PA and WM media, BC yields were threefolds or fourfolds higher than those obtained in HS medium. Interestingly, textural characterization tests (viz., SEM, crystallinity index, resilience, hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness, shear energy and stress, and energy required for puncturing the pellicle) proved that the quality of BC produced in PA and WM media was superior to the BC produced in HS medium. These findings demonstrate the utility of the newly designed media for getting higher yields and better quality of BC, which could make fermentative production of BC more attractive on a commercial scale.

As the world is facing rapid increases in agricultural wastes that greatly affect global health, the environment, and economies, this work aims to alleviate such issues by introducing simple uses of waste fruit peel powder (FPP) derived from mangosteen (MPP), pomelo (PPP), or durian (DPP), as dual natural antioxidants and reinforcing bio-fillers in natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves. A thorough investigation was undertaken of the relevant characteristics for both FPP (morphological, functional groups, particle sizes, and thermals stability) and NRL gloves (morphological, functional groups, density, color, thermal stability, and mechanical properties—both before and after thermal/25 kGy gamma aging). The results indicated that the initial addition (2–4 parts per hundred parts of rubber by weight; phr) of FPP to NRL composites generally enhanced the strength and elongation at the break of the specimens, with the levels of the improvement varying depending on the type and content of FPPs. In addition to the reinforcing effects, the FPP also offered natural antioxidant properties, evidenced by higher values of aging coefficients for all FPP/NRL gloves under either thermal or 25 kGy gamma aging than those of pristine NRL. Furthermore, by comparing the tensile strength and elongation at break of the developed FPP/NRL gloves with the requirements for medical examination latex gloves according to ASTM D3578-05, the recommended FPP contents for actual glove production were 2–4 phr for MPP, 4 phr for PPP, and 2 phr for DPP. Consequently, based on the overall outcomes, the FPPs of interest showed promising potential for utilization as simultaneous natural antioxidants and reinforcing bio-fillers in NRL gloves, which would not only enhance the strength and ability of the gloves to resist oxidative degradation from heat and gamma irradiation but also increase their economical value as well as reducing the amounts of the investigated wastes.