Abstract
Okara is the insoluble pulp that remains after the grinding and filtration of soybeans during the production of soymilk and tofu. As it retains a noteworthy quantity of nutrients, there has been an increasing emphasis in the utilization of this residue for the development of sustainable processes. This study focused on assessing the environmental impact of employing okara as a medium for fermenting and dehydrating probiotic bacteria at laboratory scale. The evaluation was carried out using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, considering the entire process lifecycle. Whole okara and defatted okara were used as culture media for Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114, followed by dehydration (either freeze-drying or spray-drying) and subsequent storage. For the purpose of comparison, both scenarios (whole and defatted okara) were evaluated using 1 kg of dehydrated final product for storage, as functional unit. Based on experimental results, the conservation of the received okara and the dehydration-storage (e.g., freezing and freeze-drying) phases were identified as the most significant environmental hotspots responsible for the most substantial impacts of the processes. The use of LCA facilitated the measurement of the environmental effects linked to the reutilization of okara as an agro-industrial residue, thus providing quantitative support when engineering its sustainable valorization.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.