Agroindustrial Waste: Importance and Applications in the Production of Microbial Enzymes

Abstract

The growing environmental concerns have intensified interest in renewable sources, promoting the use of agro-industrial residues as alternative substrates for the production of materials, chemicals, and bioenergy. Among these residues, cheese whey stands out due to its high content of lactose, proteins, and minerals, and is widely used in microbial fermentations to produce industrially relevant compounds such as enzymes. Likewise, lignocellulosic wastes like sugarcane bagasse have proven effective as carbon sources for cellulase production, while corn steep liquor has been employed as an inexpensive nitrogen source. Studies involving Bacillus licheniformis SMIA-2 have demonstrated its potential to produce enzymes such as proteases, avicelase, and carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) using agro-industrial residues, including passion fruit peel flour, cheese whey, and sugarcane bagasse supplemented with corn steep liquor. Replacing conventional inputs with industrial by-products not only reduces enzyme production costs but also contributes to minimizing the environmental impact caused by residue disposal. This review highlights the importance of agro-industrial residue valorization as a sustainable and economically feasible strategy for microbial enzyme production.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.53902/gsres.2025.05.000537

Journal

Global Scientific Research in Environmental Science

Year

2025