Conversion of Food Wastes to Useful Chemicals/Products

Abstract

In the following analysis, study was done based on the principles of fermentation. The raw materials involved were jack fruit and banana peels. Fermentation experiments were carried out on the aforementioned raw materials with the major chemical extracted being ethanol. To ensure that a measurable amount of chemical is derived the raw material was enhanced in starch content by adding plain sugar. However, excessive sugar added would cause the microorganisms to wither away due to a phenomenon called substrate inhibition. Therefore, to ensure no substrate inhibition, initial experiments were carried out to determine the upper limit to the amount of sugar being added. This was done using the growth kinetics phenomenon of the yeast added.