Tamarind seed: Composition, applications, and value addition: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Tamarind seed is a large amount of waste, which is discarded from the tamarind pulp industry. It is underutilized, but has a great potential to be used. The utilization of tamarind seed can be an interesting way to make its use in composite ingredient-based foods and industrial products. The industrial products from tamarind seeds, such as polysaccharides, kernel powder, gum, starch, and oil have found limited uses in food industries, though some research has proved their potential to be utilized in many food applications. But there is still a wide gap in potential and actual application of the tamarind seeds, which may be due to a lack of feasible technologies. This article outlines the potentials of using the tamarind seed in numerous food and non-food applications with specific mentions on physical and engineering properties, composition, and its derived industrial products along with their extraction techniques for wider applications. Novelty impact statement: This article provides detailed and updated information available on the properties, composition, products, and other uses of tamarind seed. This information would form the basis of future research in this field for minimizing waste disposal problems associated with the tamarind processing industries. In view of the fact that in most of the developing countries, the major part of tamarind is processed in domestic and small scales and the collection of seeds is a problem, low-cost value addition, and utilization of the tamarind seeds have been focussed.