Phenolic compounds from macadamia husk: An updated focused review of extraction methodologies and antioxidant activities

Abstract

This review explores the potential of agri-food waste materials, with a particular focus on macadamia nut by-products. Industrial processing of macadamia nuts yields a significant volume of by-products, including green husk and woody shell. Recent research has highlighted these by-products as readily available, cost-effective rich sources of phenolic compounds, renowned for their potent antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This paper emphasizes the importance of selecting an optimal extraction method to fully harness the bioactive potential of these phenolic compounds. In this work, we provide a comprehensive overview of conventional and advanced extraction techniques that are used to extract phenolic compounds from macadamia by-products, with a particular focus on the methods applied to macadamia green husk. Among the various techniques, it appears that ultrasound-assisted extraction, especially when combined with aqueous organic solvents, is more efficient than other methods for this purpose. This review also addresses the challenges in phenolic compound recovery, primarily due to the lack of a standardized extraction process. This often results in the extensive use of extraction solvents to achieve an extract that is rich in phenolic compounds. Overall, this research offers a valuable understanding of the most effective methods for the extraction and recovery of phenolic compounds from macadamia by-products and discusses the potential for scaling up these extraction processes. Hence, it can serve as a useful resource for researchers and industry professionals interested in sustainable and efficient utilization of by-products of the nut industry.