Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

12-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay

Second Advisor

Dr. Javier Macossay-Torres

Third Advisor

Dr. Evangelia Kotsikorou

Abstract

Food chemistry is a new field in the world and is currently still expanding into the types of market in which it can be tapped into. There are about 1.3 billion tons of food waste produced in 2016 in the world, and food chemistry is going to help get rid of that waste by finding new and exciting applications to the things currently considered as waste. In these products, there might be new and undiscovered drugs that can be used in the market to help treat diseases for which might not have a cure at the current moment. The avocado (Persea americana) is a widely adored fruit due to its nutritional properties and in the versatility of where it can be used. Though the seed is an untapped source of potential as it is one of the most underused parts of the avocado, accounting for about 13-18% of the fruit, mostly just heading to the trash as the avocado is processed for drinks, guacamole, and some medications. As production of the fruit increases the amount of waste that is produced unfortunately increases as well, to find a new use for the seed rather than just letting it rot inside a landfill or burning it for space, this study will focus on the untapped chemical sources of the avocado seed husk. In this way using the principles of Natural Product Chemistry is it a hope that new use is discovered for the husk of the seed that which is already considered a waste of waste.

Comments

Copyright 2020 Orlando A. Castillo Scheren. All Rights Reserved.

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