Abstract
<jats:p>Banana peels constitute a major agro-food residue that is frequently discarded despite their potential as a valuable substrate for the production of value-added products. This study evaluated the feasibility of producing artisanal vinegar from discarded banana peels collected at the Cerâmica Wholesale Market in Beira, Mozambique, and characterized the physicochemical and sensory properties of the resulting product within a circular economy framework. Banana peels underwent spontaneous alcoholic and acetic fermentation over 60 days under ambient conditions, followed by physicochemical analyses and sensory evaluation. The raw material exhibited high moisture content (78.6%) and adequate reducing sugar concentration (9.8 g/100 g), confirming its suitability for fermentation. The process achieved a vinegar yield of 92.4%, while pH decreased from 5.82 to 3.92 and total acidity increased to 4.30% acetic acid. The final product complied with reference quality standards for food-grade vinegar regarding acidity, pH, density, dry extract, and ash content, and obtained sensory scores above 7.0 for all evaluated attributes, indicating good consumer acceptance. These findings demonstrate that discarded banana peels can be successfully transformed into high-quality artisanal vinegar through a simple and low-cost process, supporting waste valorization, circular economy principles, sustainable waste management, and income-generation opportunities in developing countries.</jats:p>