All the mango peels that go to waste have potential for use in value added products due to compounds that act as antioxidants, according to a study from Colombian and Brazilian researchers.

Scientists from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UN) and Universidad Estadual de Campinas discovered "significant results" in obtaining active compounds using different extraction methods from mango waste.

"The mango peel samples were obtained as waste from a local industrial processor in the Cauca Valley, freeze dried and then ground and refrigerated. They were employed as carbon dioxide and ethanol solvents," said UN professor Hugo A. Martínez.

He added that mango peel was a "significant and largely untapped byproduct, despite its content of bioactive compounds like polyphenols and carotenoids of importance for human health for their multiple biological effects as antioxidants".

The UN release said yields for supercritical carbon dioxide extraction were 1.46%, while for pressurized ethanol the yield was 34.78%.

Photo: Universidad Nacional de Colombia

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