Unveiling novel applications of fruit pomace for sustainable production of value-added products and health benefits: A review

Every year, the agricultural and food industries generate substantial amounts of food waste, which impacts the environment. This review discusses the potential of fruit pomace as a sustainable resource for the production of value-added products with enhanced functional properties and health benefits. Fruit pomace, a by-product of fruit processing, is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and prebiotic properties. Synthesizing the literature from various sources, it examines extraction techniques, bioactive compounds, and cross-industry applications, providing practical insights and outlining future research directions for sustainable fruit processing practices. Fruit pomace bioactive compounds show promise in preventing diseases, such as inflammation, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and microbial infections. This review emphasizes extraction methods and therapeutic applications, highlighting their role in environmental impact mitigation through valorization. Efficient recovery methods can yield valuable bioactive compounds with diverse health benefits. Future research should prioritize sustainable approaches to maximize bioactive utilization of fruit pomace, aligning with waste reduction and resource conservation goals. Despite these challenges, leveraging fruit pomace for innovative product development underscores the need for further research and collaboration towards a sustainable and healthier food industry.