Affiliations 

  • 1 Life Sciences, TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Gebze-Kocaeli, Türkiye. Electronic address: cesarettin.alasalvar@tubitak.gov.tr
  • 2 Almond Board of California, Modesto, CA, USA
  • 3 Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
  • 4 Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
  • 5 School of Science, Monash University (Malaysia Campus), Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 6 Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, 31900 Kampar, Perak, Malaysia; Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, 31900 Kampar, Perak, Malaysia
  • 7 Life Sciences, TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Gebze-Kocaeli, Türkiye
  • 8 Nutrition and Food Technology Institute, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • 9 Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
  • 10 Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John 's, NL, Canada
Food Chem, 2025 Mar 01;467:142222.
PMID: 39626555 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142222

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive overview of upcycling commercial nut byproducts (such as Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut (also known as a legume), pecan, pine nut, pistachio, and walnut) for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. Upcycling nut byproducts, namely husk/hull, hard shell, brown skin, defatted flour/meal/cake, pine cone, cashew nut shell liquid, cashew apple, walnut septum, and dreg/okara, has great potential, not only to reduce/minimise waste, but also to fit within the circular economy concept. Each byproduct has its own unique functional properties, which can bring significant value. These byproducts can be used as value-added ingredients to promote better health and well-being, due to their rich sources of diverse bioactive components/phytochemicals, polysaccharides, fibre, lignin, prebiotics, oils, proteins, bioactive peptides, minerals, and vitamins, among other components. This comprehensive review provides a basis for future research and development of product applications for nut byproducts. More studies are needed on novel product development to valorise nut byproducts.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.