New research identifies opportunities to get more value out of stone fruit waste
Did you know that around three-quarters of the peaches and nectarines grown in Australia are grown in Victoria? And that up to 30% of all stone fruit crops are discarded or lost on-farm in sorting processes? Along with the waste created when stone fruits are processed (canned, juiced, pureed) this adds up to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of stone fruit being wasted across the industry each year.
Supported by funding from Sustainability Victoria’s Innovation Fund, Monash University in partnership with Cutri Fruit, have released a literature review that investigates how the waste from apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines can be used in everything from skin care to kombucha.
The skins, flesh, stones and kernels of stone fruits have lots of valuable properties including antioxidants, fatty acids, minerals, potassium and fibre. Monash University’s research identifies high-value opportunities for this stone fruit waste across the following product areas:
- Beauty and personal care: exfoliant products, skin and hair moisturising products and anti-aging products
- Nutraceuticals: dietary and probiotic supplements
- Food: salad dressings, dips, sauces, saturated fat replacement in bakery goods, flour replacement, natural thickener (pectin), freeze dried snacks, fruit leather, powdered colour and antioxidant products
- Beverage: smoothie packs, cold water infusions, tea blends, bubble tea flavouring, kombucha and kefir flavouring, alcoholic and non-alcoholic spirits, wine and cocktails
- Natural colourants: food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics.
Victoria is on the path to halve food waste by 2030. Find out more about the true cost of food waste and the solutions that will help us to achieve this ambitious target in Sustainability Victoria’s The Path to Half report.
