Phytochemicals in avocado peel and their potential uses

Abstract

A large amount of avocado is produced every year, and processing of avocado re-sults in the production of large quantities of peel, which is usually disposed as waste without any further application. Avocado peel is a rich source of diverse phy-tochemicals known as he-alth-promoting compounds, and these compounds can be used to produce high eco-nomic value products. How-ever, the amount and com-position of phenolic com-pounds vary regarding dif-ferent factors, such as level of ripening and maturation, growing conditions and the country of origin. Phenolics within avocado peel have been reported to exhibit an-tioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, and associated with exten-sive health benefits. Thus, it is of great importance to recover these compounds from the peel for usage in food and health industries. This review focuses on the phytochemical compounds together with main factors influencing their types and amounts in avocado peel, and the possible utilisation of this by-product in the food, pharmaceutical and some other industries.