Enzymatic Peeling of Citrus Fruits

Abstract

The conventional industrial methods for the peeling of citrus fruits include the manual or mechanical separation of the rind and the later chemical degradation of the rest of the albedo and segment membranes. These methods imply a high cost of labor, require high volumes of water for washing, and cause significant environmental problems due to the use of peeling caustics. Enzymatic peeling is an alternative method for removing the rind of the fruits with lower water consumption and causing less contamination than the traditional methods. The principle of the enzymatic peeling is based on the digestion, by an enzymatic preparation, of pectic substances found in cell walls of