Chapter 20 - Ensiling as Bioprocess for Bioconservation of Citrus Peels

Abstract

Orange residues are an excellent organic material due to their composition; these can be used to obtain high value-added products. This study revealed that orange residues contain high amounts of carbohydrates, so they are prone to almost immediate decomposition after processing the fruit. The main objective of this project was to avoid immediate decomposition of orange residues through developing a biotechnological process for the stabilization and conservation of orange residues. The selected process or technology was silage, where lactic acid bacteria are used, which they produce lactic acid as the main metabolic product from carbohydrates through the lactic fermentation process, automatically inducing the preservation of organic material due to the low level of pH present within the silos. It was observed that silage helps to extend the shelf life of the orange residues up to 10 days keeping them fresh as if these residues had just left the process. Orange residues were also shown to have 1–2 days of service life before completely losing moisture or being rapidly contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, a starter culture was performed with bacteria isolated from the same residue, with which the silage process was potentialized, achieving faster stabilization of the residues within the silos.