Green valorization of melon and prickly pear byproducts for functional use in minced beef

Upcycling agro-waste in sustainable meat preservation supports clean-label standards and SDG12. Herein, we explore an eco-friendly preservation strategy of minced beef which extends product shelf-life and ensures microbial, physicochemical, and sensory integrity. Green extraction methodology of prickly pear peel (PP), melon peel (MP), and melon seeds showed superior greenness and recovery, based on indirect literature comparison with conventional or deep eutectic solvents. In minced beef, MP and PP reduced spoilage indicators (pH, peroxide value, total volatile basic nitrogen), and enhanced the microbial quality in the order of MP > PP > PP + MP. MP significantly reduced staphylococci, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacteriaceae counts (P < 0.05) by 72, 68, and 51%, respectively, compared to the control on day 6. In a viability study, MP completely eradicated L. monocytogenes by day 6 of storage. The tested extracts significantly improved sensory attributes in the order of PP > PP + MP > MP compared to the control which spoiled on day 6 (P < 0.05). MP showed broad antioxidant spectrum, high total phenolic (98.79 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid (59.32 mg QE/g extract) contents, and LC-qTOF-MS/MS phytochemical profile comprising 38 metabolites primarily flavone-C-glycosides and fatty acids. This approach warrants further techno-economic analysis to support its transition into a viable circular economy model.