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Agro-food wastes: valorization of lychee (Litchi chinensis) peels
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Background: Tropical fruits represent one of the most important crops in the world. Moreover, currently, food security is a growing problem due to the depletion of natural resources and increasing population, which has led to a gap between production and consumption (1). Nowadays, medicine has started to pay great attention to functional food, which displays an additional function related to health promotion or disease prevention. In fact, phytochemicals present in fruit byproducts (peel and seeds) are generally significantly higher than in their respective edible tissues (pulp), suggesting these wastes to be potential sources for isolating bioactive compounds or as nutraceuticals ingredients for new food products (2). Methods: Lychee (Litchi chinensis) is a very popular fruit, currently consumed worldwide. The peel and seed represent 50% of the fruit, which is considered high. However, when processed properly, such waste can generate other products as extracts and flours, contributing to its use in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Selected fruits were washed, weighed and separated into peel, pulp and seed. The peel was lyophilized, ground, and stored protected from light until the time of analysis. Proximate composition of lychee peel flour was performed according to the methods AOAC (3), and dietary fiber, determined using enzymatic kit Sigma®, followed the technique proposed by (3). The total energy value (TEV) was also calculated. Results: Total carbohydrates and TEV were high (60 g/100 g and 318 kcal/100 g, respectively), presenting low content of proteins and lipids. Lychee peel flour presented 20 g/100 g dietary fiber. The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is 25 g fiber (4); thus, this flour may be considered a potential fiber source, to be integrated in new products. Conclusions: It is desirable to find proper food applications for fruits peel for helping the environment through sustainability and creating new value-added food products.
Description
Keywords
Waste valorization Sustainability Lychee peel flour Nutraceuticals
Citation
Ferchal, C., Sousa, C., Vinha, A.F. 2021. Agro-food wastes: valorization of lychee (Litchi chinensis) peels. Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress of Health and Well-being Intervention - ICHWBI 2021 and 1st International Conference on Human kinesiology - 1st ICOHK, p. 89. ISBN: 978-989-759-154-9.