Long discarded or used only as animal feed and compost, rising demand from health-conscious consumers will change fruit pomace’s fortunes, it says
A new study has predicted that the market for fruit pomace - the waste generated by the fruit processing industry containing the seeds, peels, and pulp of fruits after juice, oil, puree, and concentrate extraction – is expected to grow majorly in the years to come.
“Fruit pomace was commercially used only for animal feed and compost. All the remaining fruit pomace was being discarded,” a statement by the firm Commissioned by marketing firm Future Market Insights, which commissioned the study read.
“But a lot has changed in recent years as commercial applications of fruit pomace have evolved and it is expected to find its way into a plethora of processed food products. The fruit pomace market is expected to account for a robust compound annual growth rate of 4.0 per cent between 2018 and 2027,” it added.
The study attributed the change in fortunes of the pomace to a number of factors, foremost among them being more health-conscious consumers.
“More often than not, consumers follow the health-promoting properties of a product, along with the price and taste. Health awareness and close attention to the labels by consumers in the food products that they consume have led manufacturers to enhance the nutritional content of the products that they produce. This has resulted in the introduction of fruit pomace into the food and beverage processing industry,” said the statement.
“Fruit pomace that is produced from fruit processing is a rich source of fibre, which is a very essential component of human diet. The addition of fruit pomace during the manufacturing of a food product can increase dietary fibre content and other nutritional composition such as minerals, carbohydrates, pectin, and antioxidants. The incorporation of fruit pomace into dairy products, baking flour, and food flavour is on the rise, due to the various health benefits that fruit pomace has on human health,” it continued.
Another reason for the increase in pomace’s popularity is environmental sustainability.
“Fruit processing companies tend to discard fruit pomace, which results in an increased burden to identify methods of disposal and harm to the environment. Due to regulatory bodies taking appropriate measures for limiting pollution, the idea of using fruit pomace for various other applications has been identified, rather than disposing it as waste.
"This is also likely to promote environmental sustainability of the companies in the business of fruit processing by using fruit pomace in various applications, selling it to industrial users, or as animal feed to livestock farmers. Companies that are following environmental sustainability in their production facilities can benefit from using a strong marketing message,” the statement said.
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