Caldwell Alicia, Su Xueqian, Jin Qing, Hemphill Phyllicia, Jaha Doaa, Nard Sonecia, Tiriveedhi Venkataswarup, Huang Haibo, OHair Joshua
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Life & Physical Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA.
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
Foods. 2024 Jan 31;13(3):452. doi: 10.3390/foods13030452.
Food waste is a major issue that is increasingly affecting our environment. More than one-third of food is wasted, resulting in over $400 billion in losses to the U.S. economy. While composting and other small recycling practices are encouraged from person-to-person, it is not enough to balance the net loss of 80 million tons per year. Currently, one of the most promising routes for reducing food waste is through microbial fermentation, which can convert the waste into valuable bioproducts. Among the compounds produced from fermentation, 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) has gained interest recently due to its molecular structure as a building block for many other derivatives used in perfumes, synthetic rubber, fumigants, antifreeze agents, fuel additives, and pharmaceuticals. Waste feedstocks, such as food waste, are a potential source of renewable energy due to their lack of cost and availability. Food waste also possesses microbial requirements for growth such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and more. However, food waste is highly inconsistent and the variability in composition may hinder its ability to be a stable source for bioproducts such as 2,3-BDO. This current study focuses specifically on post-consumer food waste and how 2,3-BDO can be produced through a non-model organism, YNP5-TSU during non-sterile fermentation. From the dining hall at Tennessee State University, 13 food waste samples were collected over a 6-month period and the compositional analysis was performed. On average, these samples consisted of fat (19.7%), protein (18.7%), ash (4.8%), fiber (3.4%), starch (27.1%), and soluble sugars (20.9%) on a dry basis with an average moisture content of 34.7%. Food waste samples were also assessed for their potential production of 2,3-BDO during non-sterile thermophilic fermentation, resulting in a max titer of 12.12 g/L and a 33% g/g yield of 2,3-BDO/carbohydrates. These findings are promising and can lead to the better understanding of food waste as a defined feedstock for 2,3-BDO and other fermentation end-products.
食物浪费是一个日益影响我们环境的重大问题。超过三分之一的食物被浪费，给美国经济造成了超过4000亿美元的损失。虽然鼓励个人进行堆肥和其他小型回收做法，但这不足以平衡每年8000万吨的净损失。目前，减少食物浪费最有前景的途径之一是通过微生物发酵，它可以将废物转化为有价值的生物产品。在发酵产生的化合物中，2,3-丁二醇（2,3-BDO）最近因其分子结构成为许多用于香水、合成橡胶、熏蒸剂、防冻剂、燃料添加剂和药品的其他衍生物的构建块而受到关注。像食物垃圾这样的废弃原料由于成本低且易于获取，是可再生能源的潜在来源。食物垃圾还具备微生物生长所需的碳水化合物、蛋白质、脂肪等。然而，食物垃圾成分高度不一致，其成分的变异性可能会阻碍它成为2,3-丁二醇等生物产品的稳定来源。当前这项研究特别关注消费后的食物垃圾，以及如何通过非模式生物YNP5-TSU在非无菌发酵过程中生产2,3-丁二醇。从田纳西州立大学的食堂在6个月的时间里收集了13个食物垃圾样本，并进行了成分分析。平均而言，这些样本在干基上由脂肪（19.7%）、蛋白质（18.7%）、灰分（4.8%）、纤维（3.4%）、淀粉（27.1%）和可溶性糖（20.9%）组成，平均水分含量为34.7%。还评估了食物垃圾样本在非无菌嗜热发酵过程中生产2,3-丁二醇的潜力，最高产量为12.12 g/L，2,3-丁二醇/碳水化合物的产率为33% g/g。这些发现很有前景，有助于更好地理解食物垃圾作为2,3-丁二醇和其他发酵终产物的特定原料。
