The Feronia research programme

Title: Multipurpose solid state fermentation as an integrated biorefinery approach to valorize orange processing waste for food and animal feed

Acronym: FERONIA

Funding Organization: Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.)

Sub–action: Sub-action 2. Funding Projects in Leading-Edge Sectors – RRFQ: Basic Research Financing

(Horizontal support for all Sciences)

Thematic Area: ThA3. Agricultural Sciences – Food Science & Technology

Thematic Field: 3.5 Microbial ecology; starting from the Primary Production

Host Institution: DEMOCRITUS UNIVERSITY OF THRACE

Department: DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Beneficiary- Collaborating Organizations:

AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS

HELLENIC AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION (ELGO) “DIMITRA”

Principal Investigator: Professor Spyridon Ntougias

Budget: 167,900.00 €

Starting Date: 01/03/2024

Duration (in months): 22

ABSTRACT

Citrus harvest exceeds 25 million tons globally, with 80% being oranges, which are considered the most abundant fruit crop in the globe. Thus, a massive amount of waste is generated annually by the citrus processing industry, characterized by high cellulose and hemicellulose content, which is over 40% of the fruit’s dry mass. In Greece, one (1) million tons of citrus, mainly oranges, are produced annually, half of them being considered food waste. Land disposal of citrus processing waste without treatment has been reported to induce adverse effects on soil fertility and health status. The presence of residual pesticides in citrus processing waste may further affect soil fertility and quality during improper disposal. The current EU strategy toward sustainable use of organic wastes shifts food waste management from a linear to a circular economy and bioeconomy model. Towards circular economy in food waste management in the EU, the recovery of high value-added substrates and biological agents for improving food and animal feed and enhancing plant productivity are positioned at the top of the biorefinery pyramid. Thus, the vast streams of citrus processing wastes should be valorized within the circular economy prism. In this direction, FERONIA will: i) biotreat orange processing waste through solid state fermentation by applying specialized microbiota capable of hydrolyzing its high hemicellulose and cellulose content and degrade the residual concentrations of pesticides commonly detected in such waste, and ii) valorize this organic waste by enhancing xylanase and cellulase production, bioconverting its organic content to high value-added products, e.g. antioxidants, bioprocessing orange processing waste for improving animal feeding and utilizing this residue as a growth medium for biomass production of microbial biocontrol agents with suppressive properties against plant pathogens.