Comprehensive Utilization of Thinned Unripe Fruits from Horticultural Crops
Mengyuan Wei,
Haoli Wang,
Tingting Ma,
Qian Ge,
Yulin Fang,
Xiangyu Sun
Affiliations
Mengyuan Wei
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Haoli Wang
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Tingting Ma
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Qian Ge
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yulin Fang
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Xiangyu Sun
College of Enology, College of Food Science and Engineering, Viti-Viniculture Engineering Technology Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Heyang Viti-viniculture Station, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Fruit thinning is a cultivation technique that is widely applied in horticulture in order to obtain high-quality horticultural crops. This practice results in the discarding of a large number of thinned unripe fruits in orchards each year, which produces a great waste of agricultural resources and causes soil pollution that may be an important reservoir for pest and plant diseases. Current studies showed that bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, organic acids, monosaccharides and starches are present in unripe fruits. Therefore, we reviewed the bioactive components obtained from thinned unripe fruits, their revalorization for the food industry, their beneficial effects for human health and the methods for obtaining these components. We also performed a calculation of the costs and benefits of obtaining these bioactive compounds, and we proposed future research directions. This review provides a reference for the effective utilization and industrial development of thinned unripe fruits obtained from horticultural crops. Furthermore, revalorizing the waste from this cultural practice may increase the economic benefits and relieve the environmental stress.
