One-third of all food produced for human use is discarded as waste, resulting in environmental pollution and impaired food security. Fruit peels have bioactive compounds that may be used as antimicrobials and antioxidants, and the use of fruit peels is considered an alternative way to reduce environmental problems and agro-industrial waste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical, mineral, extraction yield, total phenolic, total flavonoids, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of several peel fruits, including Citrus sinensis (orange) and Punica granatum (pomegranate). The results revealed that pomegranate peel powder contains the highest amounts of ash, fiber, total carbohydrates, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Cu, while orange peel contains the highest amounts of moisture, protein, crude fat, P, and K. Furthermore, the aqueous and methanolic pomegranate peel extracts yielded higher total phenolic and total flavonoids than the orange peel extract. The identification and quantification of polyphenol compounds belonging to different classes, such as tannins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids in pomegranate peel and flavonoid compounds in orange peel were performed using UPLC-MS/MS. In addition, GC-MS analysis of orange peel essential oil discovered that the predominant compound is D-Limonene (95.7%). The aqueous and methanolic extracts of pomegranate peel were proven to be efficient against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria linked to human infections. Sponge cake substituting wheat flour with 3% pomegranate peel and 10% orange peel powder had the highest total phenolic, flavonoid compounds, and antioxidant activity as compared to the control cake. Our results concluded that pomegranate and orange peel flour can be used in cake preparation and natural food preservers.

The biological function of bioactive compounds found in plant by-products has triggered expanded interest in recent years. This study aims to produce balady bread enriched with dietary fiber, mineral, and phenolic compounds by the addition of grape seeds powder (GSP) at different levels (5%, 10%, and 15% as a partial substitute for wheat flour). The results show that balady bread (Bb) and grape seed powder have ash contents of about 1.97% and 3.04%, lipid contents of 3.22% and 17.15%, protein contents of 11.16% and 12.10%, fiber contents of 1.06% and 44.90%, and carbohydrates contents of 56.52% and 29%, respectively. Moreover, grape seed powder contains a higher level of iron and zinc about 30.02 and 9.43 mg/kg than the Bb control sample which contains about 8.19 and 7.25 mg/kg respectively. The findings revealed that balady bread fortified with grape seed powder contains a high amount of total polyphenols content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TF), and antioxidant capacity. The farinograph test results showed that increasing the GSP concentration in the flour above 10% reduced dough development, stability, and farinograph quality number. The addition of GSP to wheat flour accelerated the dough’s water absorption and mixing tolerance. Grape seed incorporation levels up to 10% (w/w) had no negative effect on dough rheological performance. The sensory evaluation of bread showed that samples that were enriched with grape seeds powder at up to 10% had good quality. Based on these findings, it is recommended to replace up to 10% GSP in the manufacturing of fortified balady bread with satisfactory physical and sensory characteristics and high TPC and antioxidant activity.