High value pharmaceutical raw materials from citrus sinensis fruit peels / Dalia Elsheikh Ali Gamal Eldein ; Supervised Meselhy Ragab Meselhy , Essam Abdelhamid Abdelsattar , Shahira Mohammed Ezzat

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmacognosy

Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade, and most is accounted for by oranges. Egypt is one of the top10 Orange producers in the world. Fresh Consumption and processing of the fruit generate large volumes of wet wastes, particularly the peel that represents about 40% of the fruit. Beside their pollution and hazard aspects, these wastes have the potential to be valorized as a source of high value materials for pharmaceutical and food applications.Accordingly, it is important to develop an appropriate technology to create a value for available and affordable "no cost" waste; the peel. Aim of the work: a)- to develop an eco-friendly process for purification and concentration of a high-grade pectin (HGP), essential oil (EO) and flavonoids on pilot scale from Valencia Orange waste, the peel of C. sinensis(L.) Osbeck (Family Rutaceae); b)- to investigate possible biological activities and technological applications of the materials prepared thereof; and c)-to utilize the marc for preparation of edible and sweet dried fruit. Results: HGP was extracted from the peel with acidulated water and purified with DiaionHP20(20.9% W/W). EO was isolated from the fresh and dried peel by cold press and hydro-distillation methods. Hesperidine isolated on pilot scale (0.95% W/W).HGP prepared was successfully used as a thickening agent/or carrier in a number of food products and the peels left used for preparing sweet dried fruit. EO had a powerful antioxidant activity. HGP (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly decreased the blood glucose level, ALT, AST, TG and cholesterol in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The EO showed significant antimicrobial activity against a number of food borne pathogens. Conclusion and Recommendation: a)-High-value materials; HGP, EO and hesperidine were prepared on pilot scale from orange peel waste; b)-HGP is recommended as a functional food for health promotion; c)-EOs can be used as a natural food preservative

Issued also as CD