Repurposing Mango and Calamansi Peels to Improve Food Waste Management in the Philippines

Filipinos love calamansi and mango. Both are found in refreshments, dishes, sauces, and desserts in day-to-day settings or during special occasions. After we slice or dice the fruits, we discard the peels. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, mangoes produced waste up to 43,000–54,000 MT between 2012 and 2017, and 6,000–11,000 MT for calamansi. They go back to landfills, incinerated, open-dumped, or spread. If not done properly, such practice may lead to contamination of the soil and underground water as solid wastes produce gas such as methane and carbon dioxide, which contributes to our ever-growing problem of greenhouse gases.

The paper entitled “Utilization of Pesticide-Free Calamansi (Citrus microcarpa) and Mango (Mangifera indica) Peels for the Production of Acetic Acid with Potential Industrial Application” by Asst. Prof. Jennifer P. Fronteras, Prof. Dominica dM. Dacera, Daisic D. Bello, and Kathleen Joy L. Delos Santos of UP Mindanao published in the Bioresource Technology Reports studies the viability of breaking down the peels and transforming them into acetic acid, which can be used for various industrial applications. Acetic acid is found in vinegar, mayonnaise, and salad dressing, among other things. By utilizing calamansi and mango peels, we can lessen wastage and protect our environment from harm. The technology developed by the study may be used in testing other fruit peels and agricultural by-products, which will also help decrease fruit processing costs.

Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2021.100806