Enrichment with citrus peels as a strategy for improving the health benefits and nutritional value of breakfast cereals: A review

Breakfast cereals (BFCs) are a popular choice for breakfast and the BFC market is growing at an annual rate of 4.1 % and stands as a 70 billion dollar enterprise today. However, there are a number of questions raised about the medicinal properties of BFCs as they are processed foods lot of added refined sugars and reduced fibres especially when made from processed grains. Therefore, improving the medicinal values of BFCs will include minimizing the refined sugar content, increasing the fibre content and fortifying with natural bioactive compounds which possess medicinal properties. Citrus peels are rich in fibre and bioactive compounds, even though they are considered a waste in many countries. Incorporating citrus peels into BFCs without adversely affecting the sensory properties will enhance the medicinal properties of BFCs as the peels have a number of already established medicinal properties. Citrus peel-enriched BFCs could be a tool in Functional Nutrition as they will not only supply needed nutrients to start the day, but they will also be able to prevent and manage degenerative conditions through their ability to modulate other factors connected with diseases such as inflammation regulation, mood disorders and weight control.