Finding an eco-friendly product has been the primary agenda of the twenty-first century global scientists. One of the main focuses is by-product recycling of food processing industries. It has been long since food industry byproduct was converted into energy and value added products. Potato processing is the newly emerging food processing factory in developing countries. Increment in food demand has led to an increase in the number of food processing industries. Nowadays, food processing industries particularly processed potato manufacturers, are expanding and generate a huge volume of potato peels. This by-product causes environmental pollution due to decomposition. However, potato peels have essential organic matter and can be used as a food preservative, pharmaceutical ingredient, renewable energy, and animal feed to promote eco-friendly food industries.
Utilization of potato peel;
Food preservation
Synthetic food preservatives could be used alone or in combination with natural preservatives. However, application of synthetics preservatives has potential of carcinogenic effects thus this calls for the use of natural preservatives alone which possess a better advantage for human health with low side effects. Potato peels are one of the natural materials that can be best used as a preservative with less cost in relation.
Pharmaceutical Ingredient
A pharmaceutical ingredient is a substance used in a finished pharmaceutical product, intended to give pharmacological activity to cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease (WHO, 2011). Peels of various fruits and vegetables are generally considered as waste product and are normally thrown away. But they have important elements which could be used for pharmaceutical purposes. Potato peel has a number of pharmacological interest compounds like glycoalkaloid which could be used as precursory for steroid hormone. The truth is that, the highest amounts of glycoalkaloids are found in potato peel than in the flesh part of potato. In addition to this, potato powder has the potential of wound healing activity as anti-ulcerogenic agent. Therefore, use of potato peel as a pharmaceutical ingredient is natural, non-toxic and environmentally friendly
Source of renewable energy
Fossil fuel demand is increasing globally. This creates rapid depletion of the fossils fuel and influences fuel prices. As all know, the main source of environmental degradation is use of fossil fuel which is a global issue. Due to this reason, interest toward use of renewable energy is increasing from time to time. To cut environmental pollution and increase on economic benefit, food processing industries are focusing on waste reuse e.g. potato peel as one of the food wastes which has a remarkable potential on production of renewable energy like biogas. Therefore, potato peel wastes could give a lot for the worldwide green economy development of recent agenda.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.691
