Potential and prospects for utilization of avocado by-products in integrated biorefineries
The industrial processing of avocado to extract oil, and produce guacamole or sauces generates enormous quantities of peels and seeds (around 2 million tons worldwide in 2019) without commercially valuable applications. However, various studies have suggested the presence of a wide range of interesting compounds in the composition of these by-products. This review depicts a thorough outline of the capacity of avocado residues to be converted into a portfolio of commodities that can be employed in sectors such as the food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, environment, and energy industries. Therefore, a novel biorefinery strategy to valorize avocado-processing residues to obtain a polyphenolic extract, pectooligosaccharides, and succinic acid was presented. Additionally, the prospects and challenges facing a biorefinery based on the valorization of avocado residues are presented, particularly its techno-economic feasibility on an industrial scale, aiming for a resource-efficient circular bio-economy.
History
Publication
Bioresource Technology, 2022, 364, 128034Publisher
ElsevierOther Funding information
Authors are grateful to the University of Vigo and CISUG for the financial support of Open Access publication, to the financial support received from “Xunta de Galicia” (contracts ED431C-2021/37-GRC and ED431C 2021/46 to Competitive reference groups Biogroup and BV1, respectively; and Projects ED431F 2020/03 and ED431F 2020/06), and to MINECO (Spain) for the financial support of this work in the framework of the project “Cutting-edge strategies for a sustainable biorefinery based on valorization of invasive species” with reference PID2019- 110031RB-I00, programs partially funded by the ERDF Program of the European Union (“Unha maneira de facer Europa”). A. Romaní, G. Eibes and B. Gullon ´ would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for financial support (grant references RYC2020-030690-I, RYC2018-024846-I, and RYC2018-026177-I, respectively).Sustainable development goals
- (7) Affordable and Clean Energy
- (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- (12) Responsible Consumption and Production
External identifier
Department or School
- School of Engineering