An Analysis of the Extraction Technologies: Fruit Peel Waste

Abstract

Advances in technology over the past few years have allowed us to evolve from waste to value. Food waste has been an increased recognition that more attention needs to be paid to this area. With this concern, research on fruit waste valorization into medicinal products has a rich background. This paper approaches the problem with a broader perspective by introducing the fruit waste valorization pathway. The key idea in this paper is to use the multi-criteria analysis method to choose the best essential oil extraction technique from fruit waste. The performance of four different extraction methods i.e., steam distillation, cold-pressing, solvent extraction, and hydro distillation compared in the approach, considering the environmental, economic, social, and technical criteria. The methodology was developed with two scenarios, by using the Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. Our research highlighted that cold-pressing extraction is the most effective technique for essential oil extraction in both scenarios.