Byproducts of Caatinga passion fruit (Passiflora cincinnata): industrial potential, bioactive composition, and health benefits

Growing demand for sustainable food systems has driven interest in byproduct valorization as a source of functional ingredients and bioactive compounds. Although Passiflora cincinnata Mast., native to the Brazilian semiarid, remains industrially underexplored, its byproducts (peels, seeds, leaves, flowers, peduncles, and stems) have nutritional, functional, and technological properties enabling whole-fruit valorization. This review examines current knowledge on industrial potential, physicochemical compositions, extraction technologies, and health properties of Caatinga passion fruit byproducts and plant parts. Evidence on technological applications, proximate composition and physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, extraction strategies, and health effects was compiled and critically discussed. Overall, the P. cincinnata byproducts are rich sources of dietary fiber, pectin, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamin C, and phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids. These constituents confer distinct techno-functional properties, supporting applications in bakery products, beverages, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and other value-added products. Hydroethanolic extraction without pre-defatting has been widely used and yields high recovery of bioactive compounds. Moreover, although emerging green extraction technologies can reduce time and solvent use without losing efficiency, they remain scarcely applied. Experimental studies report antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, antiglycation, neuroprotective, prebiotic/probiotic, and photoprotective activities of extracts and isolated compounds. However, methodological heterogeneity limits comparisons between studies. Leaves, flowers, stems, and stalks lack nutritional and physicochemical studies. Flowers and peduncles also require studies on their bioactives and bioactivities. Furthermore, gaps remain regarding bioaccessibility/bioavailability, mechanisms of action, toxicological profiles, and clinical validation.