PINEAPPLE RESIDUES: A TRANSITION FROM REMNANTS TO THE REALM OF A BASKET OF CHEMICALS AND VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS

Abstract

The major part of food waste in our surroundings is produced due to the processing of fruits and vegetables. To recycle this waste, a considerable amount of money is required and as a result these pollutants are either dumped in open spaces or else burned which tends to intensify the pollution problems. This project report provides the information regarding the potential of pineapple waste including the left-over peels, core, stem and crown portions to generate value-added compounds and the techniques that can be used to extract these compounds from the by-products have also been assembled from literature. Further, the applications of these compounds in numerous fields were extensively explored. The highly nutritious profile of pineapple waste including its high carbohydrate content makes it a suitable substrate for manufacture of important chemicals such as organic acids, essential oils, nanocellulose, xylooligosaccharides, polyphenols, bromelain and others that may find use in the food industry, production of aerogels, fibers, biofuels, animal feed, production of nanoparticles, heavy metal intoxication, bioadsorbent and a variety of clinical application. Such utilisation of waste would be immensely helpful in the reduction of environmental issues and would also provide an innovative way to manufacture useful compounds out of waste.