Pomelo Peel-Inspired 3D-Printed Porous Structure for Efficient Absorption of Compressive Strain Energy

The porous structure in pomelo peel is believed to be responsible for the protection of its fruit from damage during the free falling from a tree. The quantitative understanding of the relationship between the deformation behavior and the porous structure could pave the way for the design of porous structures for efficient energy absorption. Here, a universal feature of pore distribution in pomelo peels along the radial direction is extracted from three varieties of pomelos, which shows strong correlation to the deformation behavior of the peels under compression. Guided by the porous design found in pomelo peels, porous polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) cube is additively manufactured and possesses the highest ability to absorb energy during compression as compared to the non-pomelo-inspired geometries, which is further confirmed by the finite element simulation. The nature-optimized porous structure revealed here could guide the design of lightweight and high-energy-dissipating materials/devices.

The Regulatory Effects of Citrus Peel Powder on Liver Metabolites and Gut Flora in Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Gannan navel orange and Jinggang pomelo, belonging to the genus Citrus, are good sources of phenolic compounds, which are mainly concentrated in the peel. These phenolic compounds are considered promising in the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In order to maximize nutrients retention and bioactivity in the peel, pomelo peel and orange peel were processed using freeze-drying technology and mixed in the ratio (pomelo peel powder 50% and orange peel powder 50%) to make citrus peel powder (CPP). The purpose of this study was to explore new strategies and mechanisms associated with the consumption of CPP to alleviate nonalcoholic fatty liver injury, lipid metabolism disorders, and gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that after 12 weeks of CPP administration, CPP supplementation had a strong inhibitory effect on HFD-induced weight gain, hepatic fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In particular, CPP modulates the composition of the intestinal flora, such as increasing the relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes, genus Faecalibaculum, genus Lactobacillus, genus Dubosiella, and genus Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_ group and decreasing the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidota, genus Helicobacter, and genus Bacteroides. These results suggest that CPP has a preventive effect on NAFLD, which can be related to the regulation of intestinal flora.

Product diversification from pomelo peel. Essential oil, Pectin and semi-dried pomelo peel

Currently, agriculture has shifted to green production, in which the recycling of post-production by-products is a key issue. In the present work, by-products such as pomelos were studied to promote consumption and enhance the value of pomelo. From pomelo material, essential oils extracted from pomelo peels, pectin, and drying pomelo products have been diversified. In the extraction process of essential oils, the hydrodistillation method was applied in conjunction with the response surface method to obtain the optimal conditions of influence factors. These essential oils were quantified as well as determined for components by GC-MS. The pectin recognition process was done by immersion method in HCl acid (pH 2) and the drying process was made with a heat pump dryer under the effects of drying temperature, drying time and wind rate. The results of the essential oil products reached the highest (0.88 ±0.006 g) at the material size of 3 mm, the distillation time of 27 min, and the ratio of raw materials/solvents of 1/12 g/mL. The main components found in pomelo peeling essential oils included limonene (71.768%), γ-terponene (12,847%), α-Phellandrene (2.979%), β-myrcene (2.668%), 1R-α-pinene (2,656%), and β-pinene (1,191%). The pectin content was the highest under the temperature of 90 °C, extraction time of 60 min and ratio/solvent ratio of 1:32 g/mL. Under these extraction conditions, 48% of concentrated pectin content was obtained. Surveying conditions for drying white pomelo peels are capable of reversing: refunded drying pomelos are drying heat pumps in the following conditions: 50 °C drying temperature, the drying time of 90 min, and wind rate of 12 m/s. Product with hardness 309.862 N.

Adsorption of Iron with Biosorbents derived from Longan Peel, Pomelo Peel and Jackfruit Peel

High iron (Fe2+) concentration in groundwater is a severe issue in many regions of the world. This study attempts to investigate the effectiveness of biosorbents derived from longan peel (LP), pomelo peel (PP) and jackfruit peel (JP) for the adsorption of Fe2+ from aqueous solution in various forms. A batch adsorption study was carried out with an initial Fe2+ concentration of 10 mg/L for 2 h. The results showed that the highest removal efficiency was achieved for PP and its biochar at 97.38% and 99.45%, respectively. High removal efficiency implied that PP contained favourable characteristics for the adsorption of Fe2+. Under the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the surface structure of PP displayed visible dimensions with a relatively large pore size compared with LP and JP. Characterisation study using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals that the carboxylate groups and ester carbonyl band participated in the adsorption process. At higher initial pH of 5.83, adsorption of Fe2+ using PP gives higher removal efficiency due to lower competition on electrostatic interaction between positive ions in the solution and the surface of biosorbents. Furthermore, adsorption uptake of 83.0 mg/g was attainable with an initial concentration of 100 mg/L. This study has proven the feasibility of PP as a low cost biosorbents for removing Fe2+ in an aqueous solution.

Central Composite Design, Kinetic Model, Thermodynamics, and Chemical Composition of Pomelo (Citrus Maxima (Burm.) Merr.) Essential Oil Extraction by Steam Distillation

Pomelo peel-derived essential oils have been gaining popularity due to greater demand for stress relief therapy or hair care therapy. In this study, we first performed optimization of parameters in the pomelo essential oil extraction process on a pilot scale to gain better insights for application in larger scale production. Then extraction kinetics, activation energy, thermodynamics, and essential oil quality during the extraction process were investigated during the steam distillation process. Three experimental conditions including material mass, steam flow rate, and extraction time were taken into consideration in response surface methodology (RSM) optimization. The optimal conditions were found as follows: sample weight of 422 g for one distillation batch, steam flow rate of 2.16 mL/min and extraction time of 106 min with the coefficient of determination R2 of 0.9812. The nonlinear kinetics demonstrated the compatibility of the kinetic model with simultaneous washing and unhindered diffusion with a washing rate constant of 0.1515 min−1 and a diffusion rate constant of 0.0236 min−1. The activation energy of the washing and diffusion process was 167.43 kJ.mol−1 and 96.25 kJ.mol−1, respectively. The thermodynamic value obtained at the ΔG° value was −35.02 kJ.mol−1. The quality of pomelo peel essential oil obtained by steam distillation was characterized by its high limonene content (96.996%), determined by GC-MS.