Valorization of Pomegranate Peel Waste: A Pathway to Sustainability and the Circular Bioeconomy

BRIDGE'22 09_10 DEC 2022 ABSTRACT BOOK international scientific conference University "ukshin hoti" prizren I N T E R N A T I O N A L S C I E N T I F I C C O N F E R E N C E " B R I D G E 2 0 2 2 " U N I V E R S I T Y “ U K S H I N H O T I ” P R I Z R E N 0 9 - 1 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 . P R I Z R E N , K O S O V A K A T A L O G I M I N Ë B O T I M – ( C I P ) B I B L I O T E K A K O M B Ë T A R E E K O S O V Ë S “ P J E T Ë R B O G D A N I ” ISBN 978-9951-510-28-8 V A L O R I S A T I O N O F P O M E G R A N A T E P E E L W A S T E A S A P A T H W A Y T O S U P P O R T S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y A N D C I R C U L A R B I O E C O N O M Y Luziana HOXHA Agricultural University of Tirana ABSTRACT The primary sources of the community’s solid wastes are generated from the excessive amount of food loss and waste, which strongly impacts agriculture, the environment, and climate change. On the other hand, today’s consumers are requesting strongly sustainable and healthy diets. This work aims to investigate the application of pomegranate peel powder in cereal-based products, as a pathway to valorize the waste generated by pomegranate fruits, in support of a circular bio-economy and to increase overall sustainability. For this study, pomegranate fruits were bought from local farmers in 2022, in Durres, Albania, and the peel was sun-dried and powdered (PPP) in a laboratory blender and then sieved. The cereal base product (pancakes, muffins, biscuits) were prepared without PPP, which served as control, and also was supplemented with 3% (PPP3), 6% (PPP6), 9 % (PPP9), and 18% (PPP18), all samples were partially vacuum packed, and evaluated at the time of preparation, also after 1 day, 2 days, 3 days and 5 days of storage. The main physicochemical characteristics were evaluated according to official methods. Total phenolics were determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, total flavonoids were determined by the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, and antioxidant activity was assessed by using two tests: ABTS & DPPH, respectively for the PPP, control samples and those prepared in different formulations with PPP. The sensory characteristics (appearance, flavour, aroma, gumminess, texture, and overall quality) were evaluated using a 9-point scale. Results showed that supplementation with PPP had a great contribution in enrichment with bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, as values reached more than 3-fold higher compared to respective control samples. The sensory characteristics resulted in higher points for the formulation PPP6 & PPP9. The addition of PPP contributed even the shelf life extension compared to the control samples. Based on the study findings, we would suggest the application of PPP as a great approach to resource recovery, in support of sustainability and healthy diets. Keywords: Pomegranate Peel Powder, Antioxidant Activity, Valorisation, Circular Bioeconomy, Sustainability. International Scientific Conference "BRDIGE 2022" PAGE09