Eriobotrya japonica fruits and its by-products: A promising fruit with bioactive profile and trends in the food application – A bibliometric review

Due to the researchers' pursuit for bioactive compounds to perform biological activities beneficial for human health, many plants species have been explored. Thus, loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), a subtropical plant originated in south-central China and is nowadays cultivated in more than 30 countries across the globe is drawing attention. Nowadays, its leaves and branches are processed into important pharmaceuticals while its fruit (pulp and peel) still remain insufficiently exploited being consumed mainly in natura. The aim of this work is to conduct a bibliometric survey throughout the Web of Science © (WOS) Main Collection and Dimensions database to highlight and correlate the research that has been carried out on this fruit. The goals are to discover the extent of the research that has already been conducted, from which fields of knowledge the research has been approached, and understand the study trends that point toward future applications in the food industry. With the data obtained by the up-to-date bibliometric analysis was possible to verify that the plant has been well explored in the medicinal, chemical, and pharmaceutical sector, while the fruit, especially their seed and their starch has been highlighted in the medicinal field or food science but with no extensive industrial usage. Only 112 papers were published regarding the loquat seeds and only 4 studied their by-products which are rich in bioactive compounds and therefore have great potential for food applications.