Valorization of watermelon fruit (Citrullus lanatus) byproducts: phytochemical and biofunctional properties with emphasis on recent trends and advances
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) a fruit crop, is an herbaceous creeping plant belonging to the family
Cucurbitaceae. It is a tropical plant, mainly propagated by seeds and thrives best in warm areas. While the
fruit pulp is consumed, seeds are often discarded. The continuously growing global market for the main
tropical fruits is currently estimated at 85 million tons, of which approximately half is lost or wasted
throughout the whole processing chain. Developing novel processes for the conversion of these byproducts
into value‐added products could provide a viable way to manage this waste problem, aiming at the same
time to create a sustainable economic growth within a bio‐economy perspective. Given the ever‐increasing
concern about sustainability, complete valorization through a bio‐refinery approach, that is, zero waste
concepts is therefore most important. This paper aims to report the status on the valorization of tropical
fruit byproducts, more specifically in watermelon seeds and their content in bioactive compounds, such as
phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids. Moreover, the bioactivity of the different types of
phytochemicals and their possible application as a resource for different sectors (food, pharmaceutical, and
environmental sciences) is discussed. Consequently, this review presents the concepts of tropical fruit
byproducts recovery, and the potential applications of the isolated fractions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
