Dual process for improved recovery of essential oil and pectin from citrus waste

Abstract BACKGROUND Citrus essential oils (EO), particularly orange essential oil (OEO) and pectin, are high‐value chemical products widely used across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, detergents, and cosmetics. These compounds are present in the residual by‐products generated by juice production industries, and their recovery and valorization have been the subject of research for years. Methods ranging from traditional extraction processes to emerging technologies have been reported. This study presents a novel, sustainable method for utilizing citrus waste from a processing company in Mexico. It is based on a sequential treatment involving pulsed electric fields (PEF) and reactive extrusion on a twin‐screw extruder. RESULTS The twin‐screw extruder was modified through the integration of modular components and two side filters for the separation of OEO and pectin. With a brief PEF exposure of just 40 μs at a low field intensity of 1 kV cm −1 , the extraction yield of OEO from the raw waste increased by approximately 50% compared to the untreated control. The quality of the extracted oil was confirmed using gas chromatography. Simultaneously, 43% of the pectin was recovered through the extruder's side streams. CONCLUSION The proposed sequential PEF and reactive extrusion treatment is a novel and competitive approach for the simultaneous extraction of essential oil and pectin from citrus industrial waste with competitive values as compared to reports in the literature. Further optimization of operating conditions and detailed characterization of the extracted pectin are recommended to enhance the process efficiency and product quality. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).