By Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporter

ILOILO-BASED startup CirPro Innovations is turning discarded calamansi peels into liquid pectin, a fruit-based gelling agent, as it seeks to reduce food waste while creating a higher-value ingredient from a common Filipino crop.

“Calamansi waste peels are detrimental to the environment if not disposed of or managed well,” CirPro founder and Chief Operating Officer Christine Faith G. Germinal told BusinessWorld in a Zoom interview.

The startup sources calamansi peels from local farmers and juice processors, who can otherwise face disposal costs when the peels are thrown away.

“We saw it as a good business opportunity that also helps create a circular economy in the food industry,” Ms. Germinal said.

Calamansi is widely used in Filipino food and beverages, but its peel is often discarded after the juice is extracted. That makes the byproduct a practical feedstock for processors looking to turn crop waste into an ingredient that can be used again in the food chain. “We realized that using calamansi peels could also support the sustainability of calamansi juice production,” she added.

CirPro uses an average of 20 kilos of calamansi peels each month to produce 15 to 18 liters of liquid pectin.

Its Limontene Liquid Pectin can be used as a stabilizer, texturizer and gelling agent in products such as jams, concentrated teas, sauces, jellies and ice cream.

“In jams, it improves spreadability and helps prevent hardening,” Ms. Germinal said. “In ice cream, it slows melting by acting as a stabilizer and preventing ice crystals from forming.”

The company also uses some of its pectin in CalZing, its calamansi ginger tea concentrate. Ms. Germinal said the ingredient allows the concentrate to dissolve in cold water.

CirPro supplies about 15 to 20 liters of its products each month to partner coffee shops and restaurants while testing its pectin with other businesses.

Founded in 2024, the startup produces about 200 liters of liquid pectin a year and plans to raise output to at least 600 liters by year-end as it expands production capacity.

Ms. Germinal said CirPro is in talks with larger companies that could supply about 60 kilos of calamansi peels, as well as another potential source that could provide much larger volumes.

“We’re trying to get angel investors or pre-seed investors to help us scale up,” she said.

The company’s expansion would allow it to process more calamansi waste while supplying food businesses seeking plant-based ingredients, she added.