Old fruit peel are the new healthy snacks

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A snapshot of Fruit-Peelo. Credit: UiTM

Japanese food researchers Noriham Abdullah, Marina Zulkifli, Mohd Hilmi Hassan, Wan Nur Zahidah Wan Zainon and Nur Ilmiah Alimin have developed a new healthy snack out of fruit peels to fulfil a growing need for fast, on-the-go health food.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting health conscious consumers are becoming more experimental in selecting their healthier snacks alternatives. In response to this, a team of researchers from the Faculty of Applied Sciences used cheap and abundant agricultural by-products, such as mango and guava peels, to produce a leathery, bite size snacks called Fruity-Peelo.

Fruit peels contain high levels of polyphenols, carotenoids and other bioactive compounds which offer various health benefits. In addition, utilisation of such by-products is a promising measure from an environmental as well as an economic point of view.

Dr. Noriham Abdullah, the lead researcher, says that Fruity-Peelo is a tasty convenience snack with long shelf life that contains healthy compounds such as antioxidants, dietary fibres and Vitamin C.

The growing concerns over climbing obesity levels, combined with efforts to rejuvenate the image of the on-the-go healthy food options, have further improved Fruity Peelo’s prospect to fulfil a growing demand for convenience snacks that are healthy, quick and unique.

Provided by Universiti Teknologi MARA