Preliminary Investigation on Mandarin Peel Extraction and Development of Functionalized Chitosan-Guar Gum Edible...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biomaterials Science
• Sustainable Packaging

Background:

• Citrus processing generates substantial by-products rich in bioactive compounds.
• These by-products are often underutilized, representing a loss of valuable resources.
• Mandarin peel (Citrus reticulata) is a promising source of functional compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the extraction of bioactive compounds from mandarin peel.
• To develop functionalized edible films using guar gum, chitosan, and mandarin peel extract.
• To evaluate the functional properties of the developed edible films.

Main Methods:

• Response surface methodology was employed for optimizing both bioactive extraction and edible film formulation.
• Extraction parameters optimized included time, solvent composition, and solvent/solid ratio.
• Film formulation variables included guar gum/chitosan ratio, glycerol content, and extract concentration.

Main Results:

• Optimized extraction yielded significant amounts of total polyphenols (329.59 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (42.6 mg QE/g), and carotenoids (1.53 mg/g) with high antioxidant activity.
• The composite edible films exhibited excellent functional properties: swelling index (65.83%), water absorption (65.48%), weight loss (41.91%), and desirable visual appearance (L* 89.30).
• Predictive models demonstrated high statistical significance and good agreement between predicted and experimental values.

Conclusions:

• Mandarin peel is a valuable source for extracting bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant properties.
• Guar gum/chitosan composite films incorporating mandarin peel bioactives possess excellent functional characteristics.
• This research advances biopolymer-based approaches for sustainable packaging by utilizing food industry by-products.