Pineapple by-products utilization: Progress towards the circular economy

Industrial processing of pineapple generates a considerable bulk by-product such as peel, crown, core, and pomace. These by-products remain mostly without further utilization. Thus, they are usually discarded as waste in landfill sites, giving rise to serious environmental complications and economic expenses. However, these by-products are a treasure trove of high-value compounds with a medley of health benefits and industrial applications and so help to serve humanity. Valorization of these by-products is an efficient and strategic approach to put bioactive compounds back into the economy; thereby, addressing both related environmental and economic concerns. This review describes an updated tapestry of reports about the valorization of pineapple by-products and cultivating the possibilities of pineapple waste utilization. Characteristics, compositions of high-value compounds, and the benefits of employing them in a circular economy are discussed. Comprehensively, the current review analyzed different propositions from the latest literature on the utilization of pineapple by-products, and emerging applications of bioactive compounds extracted from pineapple processing by-products in the numerous areas of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic realms, along with the development of environmentally sustainable materials towards sustainability and circular economy.