Zero-Waste Fermentation—Up-Cycling Food Waste into High-Value Products
Next-Gen Plant Based Fermented Foods: Innovations for a Sustainable Future, Springer Nature, ss.409-445, 2026
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Araştırma Kitabı
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/978-3-032-29927-7_13
- Yayınevi: Springer Nature
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.409-445
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Bioplastics, Biorefinery, Circular bioeconomy, Food waste valorisation, Organic acids, Solid-state fermentation, Zero-waste fermentation
- Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
One third of the total food produced globally —approximately 1.3 billion tons per year is lost or wasted, with nearly half of all fruit and vegetables being squandered. The loss of still-edible food is only the tip of the iceberg, as vital resources such as water, land, energy, labour, and capital are also needlessly consumed. Food waste, rich in carbon and biological value has conventionally been disposed of in landfills, but emerging technologies now enable up-cycling these wastes into valuable bio-based materials. Among other biotransformation methods, fermentation stands out by allowing precise control of the process and unlocking the potential of producing a wide range of economically viable end products. Drawing from recent advances, including combined bioprocessing, solid-state fermentation, submerged fermentation and integrated biorefinery approaches, this chapter reviews how microbial pathways can convert food waste into enzymes, organic acids, biofuels, bioplastics, and nutraceuticals. However, there are several bottlenecks which need to be eliminated including optimization and scaling-up of the processes, mitigation of possible contaminants or risks associated with the wastes, and enhancement of the product yield and purity. Zero-waste fermentation plays a key role in advancing circular economy principles by exploring the classification and characteristics of different food waste types, alongside various fermentation techniques used in waste valorisation presenting a transformative opportunity to shift food waste management from a cost-driven environmental liability into a value-generating pillar of sustainable bioproduction.