Cocoa Pod Husk: A High‐Pectin Source with Applications in the Food and Biomedical Fields

Cocoa liquor, butter, and powder represent derived products from a small portion of the fruits, compared with cocoa pod husk (CPH) which accounts for ∼ 70 % fresh weight. CPH, improperly disposed in plantations, can cause diseases threatening worldwide chocolate production. However, this biomass be potential source bioactive compounds aligned circular economy. An overview on different methods extracting pectin, resulting variable extraction yields critical discussion obtained physicochemical characteristics, is presented. Additionally, applications extracted pectin food biomedical application are discussed, including thickener, stabilizer, excipient, drug-release modifier, macrophage activator, etc. Despite these outputs, new need to considered improving efficiency sustainability. Finally, approaches introduced that help minimize environmental impact, making cost- time-efficient, and, therefore, more ssustainable further successful translation industry.