Nutritional and bioactive composition, nutraceutical potential, food and packaging applications of Cydonia oblonga and its byproducts: A review

Abstract

Cydonia oblonga is an essential underutilized pome fruit that originated in Caucasian area and extends to other parts of the world. The fruits and seeds of Cydonia oblonga play a prominent role in the food, pharmaceutical and packaging industries. Because of its health-promoting and nutraceutical properties, various functional food products such as jams, preserves, jellies, cakes and marmalades are made from it and are considered niche marketing products for health-conscious consumers. Cydonia oblonga is a rich source of phytochemicals having antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, and anti-ulcerative activity. Although the seed is an underutilized waste of quince fruit, utilizing quince seed powder in cookies, desserts, ice creams and dairy products has immensely improved consumer acceptability and enhanced the nutraceutical potential of products. In the packaging industry, seed mucilage coatings and films enhance the shelf life of food products and gathered considerable attention from researchers. The seed mucilage films with other antimicrobial and antioxidant agents have shown to increase keeping the quality of food products and prevent microbial spoilage, color and flavor deterioration. Considering the importance of quince fruit and its byproducts in various aspects which include nutraceutical, packaging, culinary and processing industries; this review constructively highlights the bioactive components, food, pharmaceutical and packaging properties of the fruit, seed and mucilage for its probable applications.