ABSTRACT
Horticultural crops, especially fruits and vegetables, are highly consumed as food and food products. These items are consumed either uncooked, partially cooked, or fully cooked, according to their nature and the cooking process. A large amount of waste is generated from fruit-and vegetable-based industries and household kitchens. According to the FAO, waste generated from fruits and vegetable processing is estimated by 25–30% of the total product. This waste is rich in active compounds and has high nutritional content. Utilization of this waste into beneficial by-products could represent an essential strategy for reducing significant dietary and economic loss as well as the negative environmental impacts. The most common wastes include pomace, peels, rind, and seeds are fabulously rich in valuable bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, enzymes, phenolics, essential oils, vitamins, and many other compounds. These bioactive compounds show their application in various industries, including food industries to develop edible films, health industries for probiotics, and other industries for valuable and natural products. The utilization of these low-cost waste for producing the high value-added product is a novel step in its sustainable utilization. Tangerine is commonly produced and consumed as fresh or processed worldwide. The Mediterranean area produces the best and high-quality tangerine in the world. It is a high vitamin C source and rich in nutrients and provides many medicinal and health benefits. According to the new information released by the FAO, considering the influences of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), populations with extreme starvation in the world will perhaps increase. Consequently, countries should gain proficiencies and try to reduce trade-related costs, for example, by reducing food waste and losses. Therefore, the present chapter intends to summarize the different types of waste originating from Tangerine (Citrus reticula L.) and highlight their potential in developing edible films, probiotics, nanoparticles, carbon dots, microbial media, biochar, and biosorbents. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
ABSTRACT
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a lack of miracle drugs for treatment. Repurposing drugs such as Remdesivir and corticosteroids to treat COVID-19 are being studied. Traditional Chinese medicine was widely used during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus infection in China in 2003. It was found that standard medical treatment combined with Chinese medicine treatment may improve the symptoms of SARS patients and speeding resolution of lung infiltration. The commonly used prescriptions for preventing the coronavirus infection are Sangjuyin plus Yupingfeng powder. Various Traditional Chinese medicines with potential to fight SARS-CoV-2 include Liquorice Root and Rhizome, Rhubarb, Heartleaf Houttuynia Herb, Indi-gowoad Root, Tangerine Peel, Scutellaria Root, and Red Sage Root and Rhizome etc. In addition, Chinese patent medicines including Shuanghuanglian Oral liquid, Lianhua Qingwen Capsule, Jinhua Qinggan Granule and Taiwan Chingguan Yihau are recognized as plausible agents for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia. The antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of selected Chinese herbal drugs may attribute to their inhibiting the binding of the coronavirus spike protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, inhibiting key enzymes such as 3-chymotrypsin-like protease and ribonucleic acid (RNA)- dependent RNA polymerase during viral replication, and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Since most of the relevant studies mentioned the potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of these agents were only in vitro and animal experiments, more randomized double-blind controlled trials are needed to provide reliable evidence of clinical efficacy in future.