Abstract
Lately, cocoa pod husk (CPH) has received some attention from researchers due to its significant content of cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectin, antioxidant capacity, potential for energy generation, physicochemical characteristics and possibility to be used as adsorbent material or activated carbon. In this work, alkaline (NaOH 2.3% w/v) and enzymatic treatment [Cellic® CTec 2 (2.4% v/v)] were developed before propionic acid (PA) production using fermentable sugars derived from cocoa pod husk hydrolysate (CPHH). The physical, structural and morphological characteristics of raw and treated samples of CPH lignocellulosic matrix were assessed using tools such as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and X-ray diffraction. The results of these analyses revealed the effectiveness of CPH sequential alkaline and enzymatic treatment for glucose production, reaching maximum concentration of 60.5 g·L−1 and a yield of 275 mg glucose·g−1 CPH. Subsequently, a medium composed by glucose from CPHH (7.5 g·L−1), as low-cost feedstock, glycerol (7.5 g·L−1) and yeast extract (10 g·L−1), was prepared to obtain PA using Propionibacterium jensenii DSM 20274. PA concentration reached a maximum of 10.28 ± 1.05 g·L−1 and a productivity of 0.08 ± 0.01 g·L−1·h−1 after 72 h of fermentation. To the best of our knowledge, there is no literature available on the bioconversion of CPH for the specific production of PA or other organic acids. Thus, the potential of CPH to be used as substrate for PA production was demonstrated with good perspectives.
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Abbreviations
- Cocoa pod husk:
-
CPH
- Cocoa pod husk hydrolysate:
-
CPHH
- Fourier transform infrared:
-
FT-IR
- Propionic acid:
-
PA
- Scanning electron microscopy:
-
SEM
- Thermogravimetry:
-
TG
- X-ray diffraction:
-
XRD
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The authors thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Brasil (CNPq) for the research scholarship.
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Authors Zulma Sarmiento Vásquez, Luciana Porto de Souza Vandenberghe, Cristine Rodrigues, Valcineide O. A. Tanobe, Oranys Marín, Gilberto V.M. Pereira, Carlos Ricardo Soccol have received research funding from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—CAPES, Brazil, projeto CAPES-PROCAD 2013.
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Sarmiento-Vásquez, Z., Vandenberghe, L., Rodrigues, C. et al. Cocoa pod husk valorization: alkaline-enzymatic pre-treatment for propionic acid production. Cellulose 28, 4009–4024 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-021-03770-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-021-03770-5