Waste-to-wealth; nutritional potential of five selected fruit peels and their health benefits: A review

Abstract

Waste-to-wealth is a notion describing the process of transforming waste, an end product to get rid of, into potential value-added products. The total global food waste is predicted to be approximately one third of the edible parts of food manufactured for human consumption, amounting to about 1 - 3 billion tonnes per year, which is equivalent to the total food production in sub-Saharan Africa; 842 million people in the world do not have enough food to eat. Food waste creates severe environmental and public health consequences that have a negative impact upon human well-being and their environments. This review sought to examine the nutritional, health benefits and potential of orange (Citrus sinensis), papaya (Carica papaya), pineapple (Ananas comosus), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and banana (Musa sapientum) peels termed waste to be valorized to nutrient-rich products needed in food and pharmaceutical industries. The nutritional profile (gkg-1) dry weight revealed that the crude protein ranged from “[watermelon 0.55 - papaya 18.96]” and crude fiber “[watermelon 0.21 - pineapple 42.22]”. The mineral analysis (mg/kg-1) comprised Ca “[pineapple 8.30 - orange 162.03]”; Fe “[banana 15.15 - watermelon 45.58]”; and Zn “[banana 0.033 - orange 14.04]”. All the peels had good antioxidant potential. Glycemic index ranged from “[pineapple 19 - orange 32]”; and estimated glycemic load “[Watermelon 1.93 - Orange 27.51]”. Fruit peels waste can be minimized by creating public awareness on valorization of peels.   Key word: Food waste, fruit peels, nutritional analysis, antioxidant, health benefits.