Fruit Peel Lipids: From LipidomicCharacterization to PhytopharmaceuticalApplications

Abstract

Fruit peels are a major untapped resource of agro-industrial biomass and a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive lipids with immense pharmaceutical potential. These lipids are involved in essential processes such as membrane stability, stress tolerance, and quality preservation and among them lie cuticular waxes, phospholipids, sterols, triterpenoids, and very long-chain fatty acids. The study of the lipid composition and its dynamic remodeling in fruit peels have been comprehensively characterized in recent years using the techniques of lipidomics, especially liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. New green extraction methods have also made it easier to efficiently extract these valuable lipid fractions. The antioxidant, anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties of the fruit peel lipids have been increasingly gaining attention, indicating their potential application in nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical formulations. However, there are still several problems associated with feedstock variability, extraction efficiency, and standardization of analysis. The potential for lipidomics, Green Extraction Technologies, and formulation science in future integration could expedite the translation of fruit peel lipids to high value pharmaceutical products from plants and new therapeutic systems. Relevant literature was retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and critically analyzed