Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Insights into the changes of amino acids, microbial community, and enzymatic activities related with the nutrient quality of product during the composting of food waste

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study systematically investigated the changes of amino acids as the composting process of food waste proceeded. It is found that the addition of 0.3 g/g total solids of food waste achieved the highest seed germination index of the product (268 %). The microbial community results indicated that the abundance of amino acid metabolism sequences remained at high levels during the whole composting process. Proline was identified as the key amino acid related with the nutrient quality of product during the composting of food waste. Further plant germination and hydroponic experiments found, that compared with those without the addition of proline, the addition of 50 mg/L proline increased seed germination rate by 20 %, increased shoot length by 3 %, increased root biomass of seedlings by 82 %, and increased leaf biomass of seedlings by 76 %, respectively. Firmicutes, γ-Pseudomonadota, Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes were the key identified bacteria related with the increase of proline during the composting of food waste. Meanwhile, the enzymatic tests of the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and malondialdehyde indicated that proline did not cause oxidative damage on the growth of plants. This study provided novel insights into the changes of amino acids, microbial community, and enzymatic activities related with the nutrient quality of product during the composting of food waste.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AAs:

Amino acids

ANOVA:

One-way analysis of variance

DOM:

Dissolved organic matter

EC:

Electrical conductivity

3D-EEM:

Three-dimensional excitation emission matrix

Em:

Emission

Ex:

Excitation

FW:

Food waste

GI:

Germination index

KEGG:

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NBT:

Nitro blue tetrazole

OM:

Organic matter

OTUs:

Operational taxonomic units

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline

PCR:

Polymerase chain reactions

POD:

Peroxidase

Pro:

Proline

PVP:

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone K-30

RU:

Raman Units

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TS:

Total solids

XPS:

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

References

  • APHA (2005). Standard Methods for the Examination for Water and Wastewater, 21st ed. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernal M P, Alburquerque J A, Moral R (2009). Composting of animal manures and chemical criteria for compost maturity assessment: a review. Bioresource Technology, 100(22): 5444–5453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bustamante M A, Restrepo A P, Alburquerque J A, Pérez-Murcia M D, Paredes C, Moral R, Bernal M P (2013). Recycling of anaerobic digestates by composting: effect of the bulking agent used. Journal of Cleaner Production, 47: 61–69

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, Liu R, Hao J, Li D, Wei Z, Teng R, Sun B (2019). Protein and carbohydrate drive microbial responses in diverse ways during different animal manures composting. Bioresource Technology, 271: 482–486

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Gannes V, Eudoxie G, Hickey W J (2013). Prokaryotic successions and diversity in composts as revealed by 454-pyrosequencing. Bioresource Technology, 133: 573–580

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duan M, Gu J, Wang X, Li Y, Zhang S, Yin Y, Zhang R (2018). Effects of genetically modified cotton stalks on antibiotic resistance genes, intI1, and intI2 during pig manure composting. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 147: 637–642

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Estrella-González M J, López-González J A, Suárez-Estrella F, López M J, Jurado M M, Siles-Castellano A B, Moreno J (2020). Evaluating the influence of raw materials on the behavior of nitrogen fractions in composting processes on an industrial scale. Bioresource Technology, 303: 122945

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo H, Gu J, Wang X, Nasir M, Yu J, Lei L, Wang J, Zhao W, Dai X (2019). Beneficial effects of bacterial agent/bentonite on nitrogen transformation and microbial community dynamics during aerobic composting of pig manure. Bioresource Technology, 298: 122384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He X, Chen L, Han L, Liu N, Cui R, Yin H, Huang G (2017). Evaluation of biochar powder on oxygen supply efficiency and global warming potential during mainstream large-scale aerobic composting. Bioresource Technology, 245(Pt A): 309–317

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He X S, Yang C, You S H, Zhang H, Xi B D, Yu M D, Liu S J (2019). Redox properties of compost-derived organic matter and their association with polarity and molecular weight. Science of the Total Environment, 665: 920–928

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Z, Lin H, Hao J, Kong X, Tian K, Bei Z, Tian X (2018). Impact of vermiculite on ammonia emissions and organic matter decomposition of food waste during composting. Bioresource Technology, 263: 548–554

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Jin Y (2015). Effects of thermal pretreatment on acidification phase during two-phase batch anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste. Renewable Energy, 77: 550–557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Liu Y, Yong X, Wu X, Jia H, Wong J W C, Wu H, Zhou J (2020). Odor emission and microbial community succession during biogas residue composting covered with a molecular membrane. Bioresource Technology, 297: 122518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lim S L, Wu T Y (2016). Characterization of matured vermicompost derived from valorization of palm oil mill byproduct. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 64(8): 1761–1769

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Wang J, Liu X, Fu B, Chen J, Yu H Q (2012). Acidogenic fermentation of proteinaceous sewage sludge: effect of pH. Water Research, 46(3): 799–807

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu Q, Zhao Y, Gao X, Wu J, Zhou H, Tang P, Wei Q, Wei Z (2018). Effect of tricarboxylic acid cycle regulator on carbon retention and organic component transformation during food waste composting. Bioresource Technology, 256: 128–136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Liang J, Zeng G, Chen M, Mo D, Li G, Zhang D (2018). Seed germination test for toxicity evaluation of compost: Its roles, problems and prospects. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 71: 109–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maciej G, Anna L, Daria P, Marta W G (2019). Advanced oxidation treatment of composting leachate of food solid waste by ozone-hydrogen peroxide. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 20(5): 203–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neher D A, Limoges M A, Weicht T R, Sharma M, Millner P D, Donnelly C (2020). Bacterial community dynamics distinguish poultry compost from dairy compost and unamended soils planted with Spinach. Microorganisms, 8(10): 1601

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neher D A, Weicht T R, Bates S T, Leff J W, Fierer N (2013). Changes in bacterial and fungal communities across compost recipes, preparation methods, and composting times. PLoS ONE, 8: e79512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neher D A, Weicht T R, Dunseith P (2015). Compost for management of weed seeds, pathogen, and early blight on brassicas in organic farmer fields. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 39: 3–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng H S, Kee P E, Yim H S, Chen P T, Wei Y H, Chi-Wei Lan J (2020). Recent advances on the sustainable approaches for conversion and reutilization of food wastes to valuable bioproducts. Bioresource Technology, 302: 122889

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Partanen P, Hultman J, Paulin L, Auvinen P, Romantschuk M (2010). Bacterial diversity at different stages of the composting process. BMC Microbiology, 10(1): 94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu X, Zhou G, Zhang J, Wang W (2019). Microbial community responses to biochar addition when a green waste and manure mix are composted: A molecular ecological network analysis. Bioresource Technology, 273: 666–671

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren X, Wang Q, Zhang Y, Awasthi M K, He Y, Li R, Zhang Z (2020). Improvement of humification and mechanism of nitrogen transformation during pig manure composting with Black Tourmaline. Bioresource Technology, 307: 123236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shan G, Xu J, Jiang Z, Li M, Li Q (2019). The transformation of different dissolved organic matter subfractions and distribution of heavy metals during food waste and sugarcane leaves co-composting. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 87: 636–644

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stein H, Honig A, Miller G, Erster O, Eilenberg H, Csonka L N, Szabados L, Koncz C, Zilberstein A (2011). Elevation of free proline and proline-rich protein levels by simultaneous manipulations of proline biosynthesis and degradation in plants. Plant Science: An International Journal of Experimental Plant Biology, 181(2): 140–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun D, Lan Y, Xu E G, Meng J, Chen W (2016). Biochar as a novel niche for culturing microbial communities in composting. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 54: 93–100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun W, Huang G H, Zeng G, Qin X, Sun X (2009). A stepwise-cluster microbial biomass inference model in food waste composting. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 29(12): 2956–2968

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Y, Men M, Xu B, Meng Q, Bello A, Xu X, Huang X (2019). Assessing key microbial communities determining nitrogen transformation in composting of cow manure using illumina high-throughput sequencing. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 92: 59–67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tong B, Wang X, Wang S, Ma L, Ma W (2019). Transformation of nitrogen and carbon during composting of manure litter with different methods. Bioresource Technology, 293: 122046

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Lu H, Dong D, Deng H, Strong P J, Wang H, Wu W (2013). Insight into the effects of biochar on manure composting: evidence supporting the relationship between N2O emission and denitrifying community. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(13): 7341–7349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang K, Mao H, Li X (2018). Functional characteristics and influence factors of microbial community in sewage sludge composting with inorganic bulking agent. Bioresource Technology, 249: 527–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Q, Wang Z, Awasthi M K, Jiang Y, Li R, Ren X, Zhao J, Shen F, Wang M, Zhang Z (2016). Evaluation of medical stone amendment for the reduction of nitrogen loss and bioavailability of heavy metals during pig manure composting. Bioresource Technology, 220: 297–304

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Pan S, Zhang Z, Lin X, Zhang Y, Chen S (2017a). Effects of the feeding ratio of food waste on fed-batch aerobic composting and its microbial community. Bioresource Technology, 224: 397–404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Zhao Y, Wang H, Zhao X, Cui H, Wei Z (2017b). Reducing nitrogen loss and phytotoxicity during beer vinasse composting with biochar addition. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 61: 150–156

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu J, Zhao Y, Qi H, Zhao X, Yang T, Du Y, Zhang H, Wei Z (2017). Identifying the key factors that affect the formation of humic substance during different materials composting. Bioresource Technology, 244(Pt 1): 1193–1196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu X, Liu Y, Yin S, Xiao K, Xiong Q, Bian S, Liang S, Hou H, Hu J, Yang J (2020). Metabolomics revealing the response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to polystyrene microplastics. Environmental Pollution, 266(Pt 1): 115159

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y, Chen Y, Shaaban M, Zhu D, Hu C, Chen Z, Wang Y (2019). Evaluation of microbial inoculants pretreatment in straw and manure co-composting process enhancement. Journal of Cleaner Production, 239: 118078

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Chen Y, Jiang X, Seow W Y, He C, Yin Y, Zhou Y (2017). Comparison of different treatment methods for protein solubilisation from waste activated sludge. Water Research, 122: 492–502

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Guan R, Yang J, Li H, Yu Z, Liang S, Yu W, Hu J, Hou H, Liu B (2019). Effects of red mud on emission control of NOx precursors during sludge pyrolysis: A protein model compound study. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 85: 452–463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Yu Z C, Pei K Y, Sun M, Zhu Y W, Liang S, Hou H J, Liu B C, Hu J P, Yang J K (2022). Anaerobic digestion of sludge by different pretreatments: changes of amino acids and microbial community. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(2): 23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang M, Yang J, Su L, Sun K, Li D, Liu Y, Wang H, Chen Z, Guo T (2019). Metabolic profile analysis and identification of key metabolites during rice seed germination under low-temperature stress. Plant Science: An International Journal of Experimental Plant Biology, 289: 110282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Awasthi M K, Bao H, Bie J, Lei S, Lv J (2020). Exploring the microbial mechanisms of organic matter transformation during pig manure composting amended with bean dregs and biochar. Bioresource Technology, 313: 123647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yao X, Zhou H, Meng H, Ding J, Shen Y, Cheng H, Zhang X, Li R, Fan S (2021). Amino acid profile characterization during the co-composting of a livestock manure and maize straw mixture. Journal of Cleaner Production, 278: 123494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yin Y, Gu J, Wang X, Zhang Y, Zheng W, Chen R, Wang X (2019). Effects of rhamnolipid and Tween-80 on cellulase activities and metabolic functions of the bacterial community during chicken manure composting. Bioresource Technology, 288: 121507

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu H, Xie B, Khan R, Shen G (2019a). The changes in carbon, nitrogen components and humic substances during organic-inorganic aerobic co-composting. Bioresource Technology, 271: 228–235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Z, Liu X, Zhao M, Zhao W, Liu J, Tang J, Liao H, Chen Z, Zhou S (2019b). Hyperthermophilic composting accelerates the humification process of sewage sludge: molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter using EEM-PARAFAC and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy. Bioresource Technology, 274: 198–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang C, Gao Z, Shi W, Li L, Tian R, Huang J, Lin R, Wang B, Zhou B (2020). Material conversion, microbial community composition and metabolic functional succession during green soybean hull composting. Bioresource Technology, 316: 123823

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D, Luo W, Yuan J, Li G, Luo Y (2017). Effects of woody peat and superphosphate on compost maturity and gaseous emissions during pig manure composting. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 68: 56–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Chen Z, Wen Q, Ma J, He Z (2016). Assessment of maturity during co-composting of penicillin mycelial dreg via fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectra: characteristics of chemical and fluorescent parameters of water-extractable organic matter. Chemosphere, 155: 358–366

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Hu F, Li H, Li X (2009). Influence of earthworm mucus and amino acids on tomato seedling growth and cadmium accumulation. Environmental Pollution, 157(10): 2737–2742

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Zhao Y, Yang T, Wei Z, Li Y, Wei Y, Chen X, Wang L (2019). Effects of exogenous protein-like precursors on humification process during lignocellulose-like biomass composting: amino acids as the key linker to promote humification process. Bioresource Technology, 291: 121882

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu L, Yang H, Zhao Y, Kang K, Liu Y, He P, Wu Z, Wei Z (2019). Biochar combined with montmorillonite amendments increase bioavailable organic nitrogen and reduce nitrogen loss during composting. Bioresource Technology, 294: 122224

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Y, Xiao K, Zhou Y, Yu W, Tao S, Le C, Lu D, Yu Z, Liang S, Hu J, Hou H, Liu B, Yang J (2020). Profiling of amino acids and their interactions with proteinaceous compounds for sewage sludge dewatering by Fenton oxidation treatment. Water Research, 175: 115645

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52170133, U1901216, and 51708239), and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFD1100600). The Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) and the Core Facilities of Life Sciences of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) were also acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Ying Xue, Keke Xiao, Xiang Wu, Mei Sun, Yifei Liu, Bei Ou & Jiakuan Yang

Authors
  1. Ying Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Keke Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xiang Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mei Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yifei Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Bei Ou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jiakuan Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keke Xiao.

Additional information

Highlights

• The highest seed germination index was achieved at 0.3 g/g total solids of food waste.

• Proline was identified as the key amino acid related with the composting process.

• Amino acid metabolism sequences predominated during the whole composting process.

Supporting Information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Xue, Y., Xiao, K., Wu, X. et al. Insights into the changes of amino acids, microbial community, and enzymatic activities related with the nutrient quality of product during the composting of food waste. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 17, 35 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-023-1635-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-023-1635-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation