Valorization of cassava wastewater as a source of ultrasound-enhanced proteins

• Grant number: 25/17160-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Siqueira Franco Picone
• Grantee: Isabela Ribeiro Zanina
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cassava is a tuber widely exploited industrially for the production of starch and cassava flour, generating a large volume of wastewater. Such residues are composed of proteins, cyanogenic compounds (CCs), soluble sugars, and other nutrients that are usually discarded, thus negatively impacting the environment. This project aims to recover and modify proteins from cassava starch processing wastewater (PM), known as manipueira, with the goal of developing new protein ingredients with specific technological and biological functionalities. Protein recovery from PM will be carried out by isoelectric precipitation. High-intensity ultrasound will be employed to modify the protein extract and to reduce cassava CCs. The effects of sonication time and power on the physicochemical properties of proteins (molar mass, secondary structure, hydrodynamic radius, solubility, hydrophobicity, intrinsic fluorescence, thermal properties, oxidation state, and amino acid profile) will be evaluated. Modification processes will be modulated to obtain proteins with improved technological properties (oil and water absorption, gel formation, foam formation and stabilization, and emulsion formation and stabilization), as well as enhanced antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. The digestibility of the extracts will also be investigated. In addition to the valorization of a cassava by-product and mitigation of its environmental impact, the project is expected to yield new ingredients for the development of healthier, more stable, and functional foods.