Food Industry Residues Research Articles

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and healing properties of an extract from coffee pulp for the development of a phytocosmetic

Consumer demand for natural, chemical-free products has grown. Food industry residues, like coffee pulp, rich in caffeine, chlorogenic acid and phenolic compounds, offer potential for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop a phytocosmetic only with natural products containing coffee pulp extract as active pharmaceutical ingredient with antioxidant, antimicrobial and healing activity. Eight samples from Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora Pierre were analyzed for caffeine, chlorogenic acid, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, and healing potential. The Robusta IAC—extract had the greatest prominence with 192.92 μg/mL of chlorogenic acid, 58.98 ± 2.88 mg GAE/g sample in the FRAP test, 79.53 ± 5.61 mg GAE/g sample in the test of total phenolics, was not cytotoxic, and MIC 3 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. This extract was incorporated into a stable formulation and preferred by 88% of volunteers. At last, a scratch assay exhibited the formulation promoted cell migration after 24 h, therefore, increased scratch retraction. In this way, it was possible to develop a phytocosmetic with the coffee pulp that showed desirable antioxidant, antimicrobial and healing properties.

Gıda atıklarının bakteriyel selüloz üretiminde kullanımı

Cellulose is defined as a polymer that exists in the cell walls of plant tissues and is widely used in many industrial fields. However, the recent threat of deforestation has led researchers to find alternative wood sources for cellulose production. For this reason, literature studies have focused on certain types of bacteria known to be capable of producing cellulose, such as Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, Alcaligenes, etc. It is stated that cellulose of plant origin and bacterial origin have a similar structure. Bacterial cellulose possesses a big economic and commercial potential depending on the purpose and the production method and is generally used in food applications as a fat substitute, rheology modifier, immobilization material for probiotics and enzymes, stabilizer of pickering emulsions, component of food coatings and green packaging film. Recently, it has become more prominent to use food waste as production inputs, such as beet and sugar cane molasses, fruit waste, dairy industry waste, etc. So, the utilization of industrial by-products, agro-forestry, and food industry residues as carbon sources has been providing significant advantages, such as increasing yield and reducing cost. The objective of this study was to present a general look related to bacterial cellulose production in combination with the use of food waste and future trends.

Hygrothermal evaluation of sustainable insulating panels

Interest in sustainable building materials is recently growing up due to the environmental pollution and the consequent need to reduce energy consumption. The building sector alone is responsible of the major share of the total energy expenditure mainly due to the indoor heating and cooling. This huge amount of energy can be reduced by choosing efficient thermal insulators based on renewable and natural sources. Among the bio-based components the by-products derived from the wood industry or, alternatively, from the food industry residues can represents a serious challenge towards the revaluation of wastes. On the other side the use of paper pulp originated from recycled paper and cardboard can be considered a valid alternative to the traditional components currently present on market. Here an effort has been made to realize a sustainable insulting panel using different recycled components: paper pulp, coffee pods and sawdust powder. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the thermal performances of the recycled-waste based panels. The measurements of the dry-state thermal conductivity, the thermal diffusivity and the volumetric heat capacity were performed by a transient plane source device. Furthermore, a numerical simulation was carried out to perform the hygrothermal behaviour of the best mix for the final experimental insulation panel.

Preparation and Characterization of Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Based Bioactive Composite Films Modified with Fungal Melanin and Carvacrol.

Preparation of biodegradable packaging materials and valorisation of food industry residues to achieve “zero waste” goals is still a major challenge. Herein, biopolymer-based (carboxymethyl cellulose—CMC) bioactive films were prepared by the addition, alone or in combination, of carvacrol and fungal melanin isolated from champignon mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) agro-industrial residues. The mechanical, optical, thermal, water vapour, and UV-Vis barrier properties were studied. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy studies were carried out to analyse the chemical composition of the resulting films. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities were also determined. Both CMC/melanin and CMC/melanin/carvacrol films showed some antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The addition of melanin increased the UV-blocking, mechanical, water vapour barrier, and antioxidant properties without substantially reducing the transparency of the films. The addition of carvacrol caused loss of transparency, however, composite CMC/melanin/carvacrol films showed excellent antioxidant activity and enhanced mechanical strength. The developed bioactive biopolymer films have a good potential to be green bioactive alternatives to plastic films in food packaging applications.

Characterization and cytotoxic activity of pigment extracted from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa to assess its potential as bio-functional additive in confectionary products.

The objective of the present investigation was to identify and characterize the pigment produced by yeast strain Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (MTCC-1403) using food industry residues. Onion peel powder and Mung bean husks were explored as substrate for submerged fermentation at previously optimized conditions in 3-L bioreactor. The pigment extraction was followed by quantification and characterization in terms of UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence spectroscopy. Anti-carcinogenic activity of extracted pigment was measured against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the pigment was used for the development of confectionary products (hard boiled candy and jelly) at different concentrations to evaluate its influence on bioactive properties and functionality. UV-visible spectroscopic reports revealed that torularhodin, β-carotene, and torulene were major carotenoids present. In case of anti-carcinogenic activity, cell inhibition of 21.21% was observed with 40μg of the extracted pigment after 72h of incubation against MCF-7 cells. Significant influence of extracted pigment on confectionary products was observed for antioxidant activity, carotenoid content, color profile and sensory evaluation.

Biomaterials based on chitosan/orange peel as a controlled release matrix for KNO3: synthesis, characterization and their performance evaluation

Controlled release fertilizers are chemical products provided with a polymeric layer that offers control over the release rate as one of its main characteristics and are an alternative to traditional fertilization methods. The use of biopolymers like chitosan and food industry residues like orange peel is a viable for the development of biomaterials that can be used as a controlled release medium for fertilizers. Considering the current interest in the development of environmentally friendly materials, biomaterials based on chitosan and orange peel considered an agro-industrial waste were synthesized in this study, which can give added value to the biomaterial by reducing waste disposal and pollution. Biomaterials were synthesized using the ionic gelation method with different concentrations of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP 1, 3 and 5% w/v) and tested as controlled release matrices of KNO3. Biomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface charge distribution and zero charge point (PZC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to elucidate their structural properties and to know the release mechanisms. Biomaterials synthesized with 1% TPP showed a 27.3% load and a KNO3 release yield of 12.28 mmol L−1 in a 12-day evaluation period. As a result of the increase in the concentration of TPP, the direct influence on the swelling, loading and release properties of KNO3 was observed, for its part, the use of orange peel as mechanical support did not affect the performance of biomaterials.

Enhancement of the anti-inflammatory properties of grape pomace treated by Trametes versicolor.

The application of solid-state fermentation for the production of value-added products from the agro- and food-industry residues has been recently investigated greatly. The white-rot basidiomycete Trametes versicolor is a widely used fungi for the degradation lignocellulosic material in solid-state conditions. Grape pomace constitutes the major by-product of Vitis vinifera L. and is a source of compounds with recognized health benefits. In this study, a process for treating grape pomace with Trametes versicolor for 15 days under solid-state conditions was developed, and the phenolic profile and anti-inflammatory potential of the grape pomace extracts before and after treatment was studied. The anti-inflammatory potential of the grape pomace extracts was studied via tests based on the inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase and hyaluronidase, two key enzymes in inflammatory processes. A total of 24 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by HPLC methods. With the exception of anthocyanins, an increase in phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols and the flavonol rutin was observed after a treatment period of 1-4 days with T. versicolor. Moreover, the increase in the phenolic content was accompanied by an enhancement in the anti-inflammatory activity of the grape pomace extracts, which was confirmed by the strong correlation between them. This is the first study providing evidence of the benefits of the application of fungal-based solid-state fermentation as an environmentally friendly process for the enhancement of the phenolic composition and anti-inflammatory potential of grape pomace, increasing the possibility of profiting from the great waste produced by the grape-processing industry.

Biotransformation of phenolic compounds from food industry waste

The food industry residues of plant origin are mostly lignocellulosic materials recalcitrant towards degradation. Since they possess incorporated polyphenolic compounds in its structure, they can be used for the production of polyphenolic compounds. However low-soluble polyphenolic compounds are difficult to be extracted. The extraction requires the use of acids which is not environmentally friendly method, or commercial enzymes, which significantly increase the costs of production. In this work, application of fungal-based solid-state treatment for a) the recovery of different phenolic compounds from brewery spent grains, grape pomace, oil pomace and corn silage ; and b) enzyme (laccase or lipase) production will be given. Additional, model solution of phenolic compounds catalysed by commercial enzyme laccase in different reactor types will be presented.

Signal trends of microbial fuel cells fed with different food-industry residues

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an anaerobic bioreactor where soluble metabolites liberated by hydrolysis and fermentation of macromolecules are simultaneously available for anode respiring bacteria (ARB). ARB can be influenced by chemical imbalances in the liquid phase of the bioreactor. The objective of the work was to explore the trend of electric signals generated by MFCs, in relation to anaerobic biodegradation of four different solid food-industry residual substrates. Four sets of membraneless single-chamber MFCs were operated in batch mode, with solid waste substrates characterized by a different base component: i) mixed kitchen waste (fibers), ii) whey from dairy industries (sugar), iii) fisheries residues previously processed to recover oils (proteins), iv) pulp waste from citrus juice production (acidic).All the tested MFCs were able to produce an electric output with different trends, depending on the principal component of the solid substrate. MFC potential varied as function of the COD and the feeding cycle, as well as of the substrate.The pH variability during the fermentative process significantly affected the electric output. Citrus (acidic) pulp fed MFCs started to operate only when the pH raised up 6.5. MFCs fed with mix kitchen wastes had a relatively stable electric signal; fish based waste caused spiking in the MFC signal and an averaging in the COD degradation trend. This phenomenon was attributed to a pH instability induced by proteins degradation forming ammonia.The fermentation process was strongly predominant with respect the electrochemical process in MFCs and the coulombic efficiency (CE) was low, ranging between 2 and 10%. This result call for a deeper exploration of harvesting power from solid wastes and pointed also to the possibility of using a MFC to monitor important parameters of fermentation processes in biotech production plants.

Linking climate change mitigation and coastal eutrophication management through biogas technology: Evidence from a new Danish bioenergy concept

The interest in sustainable bioenergy solutions has gained great importance in Europe due to the need to reduce GHG emissions and to meet environmental policy targets, not least for the protection of groundwater and surface water quality. In the Municipality of Solrød in Denmark, a novel bioenergy concept for anaerobic co-digestion of food industry residues, manure and beach-cast seaweed has been developed and tested in order to quantify the potential for synergies between climate change mitigation and coastal eutrophication management in the Køge Bay catchment. The biogas plant, currently under construction, was designed to handle an annual input of up to 200,000t of biomass based on four main fractions: pectin wastes, carrageenan wastes, manure and beach-cast seaweed. This paper describes how this bioenergy concept can contribute to strengthening the linkages between climate change mitigation strategies and Water Framework Directive (WFD) action planning. Our assessments of the projected biogas plant indicate an annual reduction of GHG emissions of approx. 40,000t CO2 equivalents, corresponding to approx. 1/3 of current total GHG emissions in the Municipality of Solrød. In addition, nitrogen and phosphorous loads to Køge Bay are estimated to be reduced by approx. 63tyr.−1 and 9tyr.−1, respectively, contributing to the achievement of more than 70% of the nutrient reduction target set for Køge Bay in the first WFD river basin management plan. This study shows that anaerobic co-digestion of the specific food industry residues, pig manure and beach-cast seaweed is feasible and that there is a very significant, cost-effective GHG and nutrient loading mitigation potential for this bioenergy concept. Our research demonstrates how an integrated planning process where considerations about the total environment are integrated into the design and decision processes can support the development of this kind of holistic bioenergy solutions.

Production of Agaricus brasiliensis mycelium from food industry residues as a source of antioxidants and essential fatty acids

SummaryAgaricus brasiliensis is a medicinal mushroom traditionally employed in prevention and treatment of cancer, used as immunostimulant and as a source of antioxidants. We investigated the chemical composition of the mycelium produced by submerged (SF) and solid‐state fermentation (SSF), using residues from food industry as substrates. After fermentation, antiradical activity and levels of antioxidants were enhanced, indicating that the micro‐organism produces these metabolites. For myceliated substrate (mushroom mycelia grown around and into the substrate particles) obtained by SSF, phenolics ranged from 18.57 to 70.46 mg g−1 and flavonoids from 0.83 to 4.51 mg g−1. For myceliated substrate obtained by SF, the variation was 27.19 to 66.99 mg g−1 and 0.75 to 5.34 mg g−1 for phenolics and flavonoids, respectively. The fatty acid profile determined by FT‐ICR MS and UPLC‐MS showed predominance of palmitic, linoleic, linolenic and oleic acids. Our findings indicated that mycelium has nutraceutical potential and can be incorporated in food supplements.

Dangerous waste incineration and its impact on air quality. Case study: the incinerator SC Mondeco SRL Suceava

Dangerous waste, such as oil residues, pesticides, lacquers, stains, glues, organic solvents, hospital and food industry residues represent a major risk for all components of the environment (water, air, earth, soil, flora, fauna, people as well). Consequently, their incineration with high-performance burning installations lessens the impact on the environment, especially on the air quality, and it gives the possibility to recuperate the warmth of the incineration. This research presents a representative technique of incineration of dangerous waste at S.C. Mondeco S.R.L. Suceava, which runs according to the European standards, located in the industrial zone of Suceava, on the Suceava river valley Suceava. Also it is analysed the impact of this unit on the quality of nearby air. Moreover, not only the concentrations of gases and powders during the action of the incineration process (paramaters that are continuously monitored by highly methods) are analysed, but also here are described the dispersions of those pollutants in the air, taking into account the characteristics of the source and the meteorological parametres that are in the riverbed.

Environmental impacts of biogas deployment – Part II: life cycle assessment of multiple production and utilization pathways

Energy security concerns and the need for mitigation of environmental impacts associated with energy generation from fossil fuels (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions), has accelerated the deployment of renewable fuels such as biogas. The objective of this study was to conduct an attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of multiple biogas production and utilization pathways in order to identify areas where further mitigation of potential environmental impacts could be realized to enhance environmental sustainability of biogas deployment. The LCA of pre-defined small (<500 kW el) and large-scale (≥500 kW el) biogas systems was conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 standards, using SimaPro 7.2 computer software. The functional unit was the anaerobic digestion of 1 tonne of feedstock mixture to produce biogas with the digestate as process end product with multiple utilization options. The analyses quantified the impacts of feedstock type (both single feedstock and co-digestion), biogas utilization pathways, and the digestate processing and handling unit processes. Analyses also considered the replacement of fossil fuels and chemical fertilizer with equivalent energy value of the biogas and nutrient content of the digestate, respectively. The recorded variations in life-cycle impact categories for the scenarios compared indicated the importance of judicious selection of biogas pathways for environmental impact mitigation. The LCA and life-cycle energy analyses for single feedstock scenarios considered indicated that straw and corn silage as most efficient feedstocks for biogas. For example, straw mixture improved the environmental performance by almost 830% compared to the base scenario of cattle manure feedstock. This was mainly ascribed to the higher energy density, which exceeded the primary energy inputs for feedstock supply logistics. In order to minimize the environmental damage associated with feedstock type in all impact categories considered, and simultaneously maintain a positive energy balance, the analyses suggest that co-digestion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) with agricultural and food industry residues are most appropriate for both small and large-scale biogas plants; co-digestion of waste and residues accounted for just 1% of the estimated impacts on agricultural land occupation, compared to the co-digestion of predominantly energy crop feedstock, and also reduced the climate change impacts by up to 30%. The results also indicated for the small-scale plants, the most promising pathway for sustainable biogas utilization would be in tri-generation; compared to electricity only generation in Combined Heat and Power (CHP), tri-generation could reduce the overall environmental impact by almost 200%. For the scenarios that included purification and upgrading biogas to biomethane for gas grid injection (arguably the most promising technology that could support rapid utilization expansion), it was noted that only the scenario with coupled small-scale CHP unit covering internal heat demands was capable of reducing the overall impact on fossil fuel depletion, compared to electricity generation alone. This was explained by the higher potential for fossil fuel substitution with biomethane, due to higher conversion efficiency (ca. 100%). It was also found that, the recovery of residual biogas from digestate storage reduced the environmental impacts of digestate management process by ca. tenfold, due to combined reduction of the potential biogas leakage to the atmosphere and subsequent use of the extra yield for energy generation.

Solid–liquid extraction of alkali metals and organic compounds by leaching of food industry residues

Leaching was studied for its application in extracting inorganic and organic constituents from fresh fermented grape pomace, air-dried fermented grape pomace and air-dried sugar beet pulp. Samples of each feedstock were leached in water at ambient temperature for 30 or 120min at dry solid-to-liquid ratios of 1/20 and 1/50kg/L. Leaching removed 82% of sodium, 86% of potassium, and 76% of chlorine from sugar beet pulp, and reduced total ash concentration in air-dry fermented grape pomace from 8.2% to 2.9% of dry matter, 8.2% to 4.4% in fresh fermented grape pomace, and 12.5% to 5.4% in sugar beet pulp. Glycerol (7–11mg/dry g), ethanol (131–158mg/dry g), and acetic acid (24–31mg/dry g) were also extracted from fermented grape pomace. These results indicate that leaching is a beneficial pretreatment step for improving the quality of food processing residues for thermochemical and biochemical conversion.

Numerical Simulation of Secondary Gas Phase Reactions of Coffee Grounds with a Detailed Chemical Kinetic Model

A two stage tubular reactor (TS-TR) was developed to study vapor phase cracking of nascent volatiles generated in rapid pyrolysis of food industry residues, namely residue from industrial production of liquid coffee. Changes in gas phase compositions were monitored in the TS-TR experiments at ambient pressure, τ~6 s, and T = 973-1073 K. These experiments were numerically simulated using a detailed chemical kinetic model that comprises 543 species and 8175 elementary-step like reactions. The numerical predictions were compared with the experimental data for more than 20 molecular species for critical evaluations of the developed kinetic model. The model successfully predicted time-dependent change of concentrations of major species such as H2, CO, CO2, CH4, etc. Production of benzene as well as consumptions of minor oxygenate compounds such as acetic acid, acetaldehyde, acetone, and methanol were also fairly reproduced. The reaction pathway analysis was performed to indentify the major reaction routes leading to primary aromatic species such as cyclopentadiene and benzene which are potential precursors of tar.

Effects of temperature, hydraulic retention time and hydrogen extraction rate on hydrogen production from the fermentation of food industry residues and manure

The production of H 2 from food residues and manure has been optimised using a central composite face-centred (CCF) design. In all 17 assays were run, varying the temperature (20, 37 and 55 ∘ C ), hydraulic retention time (2, 5 and 8 days) and N 2-flow rates (5, 25 or 125 mL/min). Completely stirred tank reactors (2 L) were operated for three hydraulic retention times and hydrogen production was determined during the course of a 24-h period before termination. The concentrations of H 2, CH 4 and volatile fatty acids were measured, together with pH, throughout the experiment. A temperature of 55 ∘ C , combined with a sparging rate of 125 mL/min, and a hydraulic retention time of 2 days resulted in the highest hydrogen formation. The maximal production experimentally obtained was 16.5 mL H 2/g VS. A model was calculated from the data with a squared correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) of 0.97 and a predictive power of 0.64 ( Q 2 ) .

Biogas potential from apple waste

Biogas production can be used to recover energy from wet organic waste such as food industry residues. In this study, residues from apple juice production at the Epleblomsten juice production plant (Norway) are analyzed to determine the biogas potential.A series of batch experiments with different initial feed concentrations (0, 1, 2, 5 and I 0%) of the leachate from the apple residues are carried out to find the total biogas potential and to investigate the composition of the leachate. These experiments were also simulated by the ADM I (Anaerobic digestion model No. I) in Aquasim as a method to estimate the chemical composition of the leachate.&#x0D; According to the batch experimental data together with the simulation results it was estimated that the leachate organic matter consisted mainly of sugar and some organic acids. The estimated concentrations were used in a follow-up study to design and simulate a full scale process. The initial feed concentrations of I and 2% gave high biogas yields, while 5 and I 0% caused an overload and relatively low biogas yields. The biogas production potential was measured as the volume of biogas produced per I L feed consumed. There is no significant relationship between the residue leachate content and the gas compositions. The COD content of the feed was calculated to be about 160 g COD/L.

A study on pyrolytic gasification of coffee grounds and implications to allothermal gasification

The increasing interest in biomass, as a renewable source of energy, is stimulating a search for suitable biomass resources as well as the development of technologies for their effective utilization. This work concentrated on characteristics of processes occurring during pyrolytic gasification of upgraded food industry residues, namely residue from industrial production of liquid coffee, and assessed its suitability for conversion in an allothermal gasifier. The influence of several operating parameters on product composition was examined with three different laboratory-scale reactors, studying the primary pyrolysis and secondary pyrolysis of nascent volatiles, and the steam gasification of char. The experimental results show that a high degree of conversion of UCG into volatiles and gases (up to 88% C-basis) can be achieved by fast pyrolysis even at temperatures as low as 1073 K. In addition, the degree of conversion is not influenced by the presence or concentration of steam, which is an important factor in allothermal gasification. Mathematical simulation of an allothermal gasifier showed that net cold-gas efficiency as high as 86% can be reached.

2,3-Butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes: selection of the optimal conditions and application to food industry residues

Optimum values of temperature, pH, and starting substrate concentration are experimentally determined for 2,3-butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes through three set of batch fermentations of synthetic glucose solutions. The results of tests carried out at variable temperature show an optimum of 39 °C and are used to estimate, for both fermentation and thermal inactivation, the activation enthalpies (7.19 and 23.6 kJ mol−1) and the related entropies (−0.32 and −0.27 kJ mol−1 K−1). An optimum pH value of 6.0 is evidenced from batch runs at variable pH, whose results are also used to make reasonable hypotheses on the reaction controlling the metabolic pathway which leads to butanediol. The fermentability of different food industry wastes, namely starch hydrolysate, both raw and decoloured molasses, and whey, is finally checked.

Evaluation of Some Food Industry Wastes for Production of Gibberellic Acid by Fungal Source

The control of environmental pollution and the recovery of agricultural, industrial and municipal wastes by converting them into useful products are two relevant biotechnological goals. In this study, the possibility of utilising food industry waste and residues as sources of carbon for gibberellic acid production by Aspergillus niger was investigated. Media prepared from molasses, vinasse, whey, sugar-beet waste and fruit pomace were used and GA3 yields were found in concentrations 155, 136.57, 120, 73, 118.13 mg l−1 respectively in such media. It was observed that food industry wastes can be used and evaluated as cheap sources of carbon for gibberellic acid production.