The fruit of the mangosteen tree is an important agricultural commodity in southeast Asian countries. Thailand,the singlelargestproducer,harvested approximately 240000 metric tons of fruit in 2006. The white edible portion, which accounts for one third of the fruit weight,is increasingly frozen,canned or used in the manufacture of secondary products. Few uses have found for the fruit pericap which,together with other by-products of cultivation,represents a significant source of agricultural waste.