Fruit-refinery: obtention processes and chracterization methods

• Grant number: 20/14965-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Technology and Use of Forest Products
• Principal researcher: Nelson Ramos Stradiotto
• Grantee: Rogerio Martins Vieira
• Home Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa em Bioenergia (IPBEN). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/22401-8 - Fruit-refinery: obtention processes, characterization methods and generation of products derived from residues of the fruitculture, AP.TEM

Abstract

National Fruitculture is one of the most important sectors of the Brazilian economy, contributing significantly to fruit production, the industrialization of juices and sweets, the export of food products and the generation of jobs. Despite its importance in the national economy, this agro-industrial sector generates an enormous amount of waste that contributes to a problematic worsening of the environment. Such waste has the potential to generate products with high added value, in the field of biorefinery and bioenergy, due to the considerable content of cellulose and hemicellulose present in its composition. However, it is necessary to evaluate the existing methodologies of chemical characterization, in order to adapt them to the chemical compositions of the material of interest, which also have low lignin content and the presence of essential oils and pectin, which can alter the methodologies effectiveness. Thus, the main goal of the project is to evaluate the use of defined characterization methods for sugarcane wood/bagasse, and possible development of methods for agro-industrial residues of orange, banana and guava. The definition/improvement/development of methods for these residues will be references for subsequent work using fruit/food residues. (AU)