A chemical valorisation of melon peels towards functional food ingredients: Bioactives profile and antioxidant properties

[Display omitted] •The chemical composition shows that melon peels are rich in fibre, protein and ash.•Melon peels are rich in cellulose (27.68%), hemicellulose (8.2%) and lignin (26.46%), protein and ash.•Flavonoids and hydroxybenzoic acids are the principal phenolics in inodorous melon peels.•β-Carotene and β-cryptoxanthin are the major carotenoids present in melon peels.•Melon peels exhibit radical scavenging activity against DPPH, ABTS and ORAC assays. The goal of this work was to characterize the profile of bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity of inodorus melon peels. Melon peels were divided into three fractions: a solid fraction with a higher content of carbohydrates (84.81%); a liquid fraction with a higher ash content (11.5%); and a pellet fraction with a higher protein content (34.90%). The structural carbohydrates study revealed a composition of cellulose (27.68%), hemicellulose (8.2%) and lignin (26.46%) in the solid fraction. The liquid fraction had the highest antioxidant activity based on results from DPPH, ABTS and ORAC assays. Flavones, hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids were the main phenolic classes found in all fractions. In addition, β-carotene, lutein, β-cryptoxanthin and violaxanthin had also been quantified. Melon fractions were rich in nutrients and bioactive substances and could be useful in the development of novel functional products, considering the growing market demand for safe and healthy food products.