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A Review on Innovative Biotechnological Approaches for Upcycling Citrus Fruit Waste for Engendering Value-Added Bioproducts

Mahalingam Divyasakthi1orcid tiny, Yerasala Charu Lekha Sarayu1orcid tiny, Dilip Kumar Shanmugam2orcid tiny, Guruviah Karthigadevi1orcid tiny, Ramasamy Subbaiya3orcid tiny, Natchimuthu Karmegam4orcid tiny, J. Jessica Kaaviya5orcid tiny, Woo Jin Chung6orcid tiny, Soon Woong Chang6orcid tiny, Balasubramani Ravindran6,7*orcid tiny and Kuan Shiong Khoo8*orcid tiny

1Department of Biotechnology, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Pennalur Sriperumbudur (Tk), Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu – 602117, India

2Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

3Department of Biological Sciences, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, The Copperbelt University, Riverside, Jambo Drive, P O Box, 21692, Kitwe, Zambia3

4PG and Research Department of Botany, Government Arts College (Autonomous), Salem – 636 007, Tamil Nadu, India

5Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa College of Technology, Anna University, Chennai India

6Department of Civil & Energy System Engineering, Kyonggi University, Suwon 16227, Korea

7Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Arts Science, Commerce and Management, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

8Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

cc by Copyright © 2024 This is a Diamond Open Access article published under CC-BY licence. Copyright remains with the authors, who grant third parties the unrestricted right to use, copy, distribute and reproduce the article as long as the original author(s) and source are acknowledged.

Article history:

Received: 9 June 2024

Accepted: 16 June 2025

Keywords:

citrus waste; sustainability; bioactive compounds; antioxidants; biorefinery; green extraction techniques; circular economy

E WEB Goal 12The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

Summary:

Around the globe, the cultivation of citrus fruits has greatly increased due to the rising demand among consumers. The citrus processing industry globally produces approximately 110 to 120 million tons of citrus waste annually. This in turn contributes to landfills, and pollution and poses a risk to human health and the ecosystem. Proper utilization of citrus waste helps reduce environmental pollution and also acts as a sustainable source for producing different bio-based products. Abundant bioactive compounds in citrus waste impart immense economic value for the production of various useful products. Furthermore, bioactive compounds found in citrus wastes exhibit diverse biological properties, including antioxidant, anticancer, antimutagenic, antiplatelet, cardio-protective, and antiviral activities. Instead of directly disposing, the upcycling approach of citrus wastes can be transformed into various value-added products, including single cell protein, biopolymers, pectin, biofuel, biofertilizer and bioenergy. Citrus fruit peels serve as a cost-effective reservoir of nutraceuticals and represent an affordable dietary option for addressing degenerative disorders. The waste of citrus which is used as biofertilizers that are a rich source of phenolics, and carotenoids helps to increase the food's shelf life. The objective is to maintain economic viability and sustainability with the help of recent innovations in the economy. This review discusses recent advancements in the valorization of citrus fruit waste, highlighting innovative biotechnological approaches to extract valuable bioactive compounds such as limonene, flavonoids, and pectin. These compounds are applied in diverse industries, from food and pharmaceuticals to bioenergy. Techniques such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) demonstrate high yields and energy efficiency. Techniques in sampling, pre-treatment, phytochemical extraction, purification and identification of citrus fruit waste are also studied. Additionally, this review emphasizes the environmental benefits of waste valorization as part of a circular economy approach, contributing to both economic sustainability and pollution reduction.

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