Sensory and Morphological Evaluation of Citrus Peel Powder

Processing of citrus fruits results in production of a large amount of by product and a major part of this by product is its peels. These peels have the potential of acting as a good nutraceutical resource owing to its high dietary fibre content and phenolic content. However, these peels are underutilised despite their claimed health benefits. This study evaluates the morphological structure, functional properties and sensory attributes of sweet lime peel and orange peel powder with a aim of providing an economical ingredient for the development of functional foods. Peels of sweet lime and orange were transformed into powder through solar drying followed by grinding. In the present study, we have compared the morphology and organoleptic constituents of orange peel powder (OPP) and sweet lime peel powder (SLPP). The morphology of the two samples was studied by SEM and element composition was studied and analysed by EDX. Organoleptic and sensory attributes were analyzed by a 9 pointer hedonic scale rating. Peel powders were also compared for two functional properties i.e. their Solubility Index and Swelling Power. Orange peel powder (OPP) had a better sensory rating than Sweet lime peel powder (SLPP). The morphology of both powders was same but SLPP had a slightly rough texture than OPP.