Substrate-related factors and kinetic studies of Carbohydrate-Rich food wastes on enzymatic saccharification

Food waste biorefinery is a sustainable approach to producing green chemicals, however the essential substrate-related factors hindering the efficacy of enzymatic hydrolysis have never been clarified. This study explored the key rate-limiting parameters and mechanisms of carbohydrate-rich food after different cooking and storing methods, i.e., impacts of compositions, structural diversities, and hornification. Shake-flask enzymatic kinetics determined the optimal dosages (0.5 wt% glucoamylase, 3 wt% cellulase) for food waste hydrolysis. First order kinetics and simulation results determined that reaction coefficient (K) of cooked starchy food was ∼ 3.63 h⁻¹ (92 % amylum digestibility) within 2 h, while those for cooked cellulosic vegetables were 0.25–0.5 h⁻¹ after 12 h of hydrolysis. Drying and frying reduced ∼ 71–89 % hydrolysis rates for rice, while hydrothermal pretreatment increased the hydrolysis rate by 82 % on vegetable wastes. This study provided insights into advanced control strategy and reduced the operational costs by optimized enzyme doses for food waste valorization.