Transforming waste into valuable resources: Harnessing the potential of pectin obtained from organic waste for the food and healthcare industries

In the recent past, agro-food industries have been completely revolutionized by numerous innovations and technological advancements. Technological-aided processing of agricultural products, packaging, and preservation have been rapidly adopted by stakeholders to credit food quality and commercial benefits. Development in agro and food industry on one hand has resulted in production of diverse food products with numerous value addition such as high nutritive value, increased shelf life etc. and have made a sound contribution towards circular economy. Pectin is a valuable macromolecule that can be extracted from food waste to get it utilized in further processing. Pectin extraction from a diverse range of industrial byproducts offers a feasible approach to valorize agro-industrial leftovers by creating a product with greater economic importance. Pectin is widely utilized in food manufacture industry as a stabilizer, gelling & thickening agent in preparation of jams and jellies, pharmaceuticals (medicine coatings), cosmetic products, dairy industries, nutritional, health and other medical applications. The current review analyses pectin properties and functions, extraction techniques, multidisciplinary applications in domains like food, food packaging, antioxidants, prebiotics along with biomedical applications.