Demonstrating the sustainable approach in valorizing the Citrus limetta peel

• A sustainable approach for the valorisation of Citrus limetta peel is reported. • Flavedo and albedo portion of Citrus limetta peel handled separately for extraction. • Developed sequential extraction process adds value to Citrus limetta processing. • Citrus limetta albedo yield highest pectin content of good quality. • Hydro-distillation and hesperidin residue yield low quality pectin. The present study details using sweet lime ( Citrus limetta ) peel waste in a sequential extraction process to obtain essential oil, hesperidin, and pectin to align with sustainable practices and promote a circular economy. The flavedo portion of the peel was shredded carefully and used for extraction of essential oil using steam and hydro distillation method, while albedo was used for extraction of pectin and hesperidin. The residue obtained after each extraction was used as raw material for the extraction of pectin in a sequential approach. Method of essential oil extraction significantly affected the oil’s composition, d -limonene was the major compound, comprising 67.85% of hydro-distilled oil and 85.46% of steam-distilled oil. Hesperidin extraction involved three different solvents and two distinct extraction temperatures, with the highest yield of ∼0.97% achieved using green solvent ethanol in hot extraction. While high-performance liquid chromatography identified 9.07 µg/mg of hesperidin in extracts obtained through room-temperature ethanol extraction. Pectin extraction compared four acids, with hydrochloric acid yielding the highest 25.58% pectin. Extraction of pectin from different residues resulted in the highest extraction yield of 25.1% from albedo and 21.8% and 8.71% pectin yield from the distillation and hesperidin residues.