Waste-to-value conversion of orange waste into l-Tyrosine

Abstract

Biomanufacturing is gaining increasing attention as sustainable production approaches are promoted to reduce environmental impact and dependence on fossil resources. Orange waste is a rich and underutilized biomass of fermentable sugars (glucose, xylose, arabinose, and mannose), as well as essential nutrients and amino acids that support microbial growth. Although previous studies have demonstrated the use of this renewable biomass for biomanufacturing, production scalability remains a critical challenge for industrial implementation. Here, we present the first demonstration of fed-batch fermentation using orange waste hydrolysate (OWH) exclusively, without additional nutrient supplementation, as both the cultivation media and feed for l-tyrosine (l-Tyr) production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Using the engineered AROM3X strain (glucose/xylose-utilizing), an l-Tyr titer of (0.46 ± 0.02) g/L was achieved in shake flasks with 30% (v/v) OWH. Higher OWH concentrations (≥ 50%) delayed growth, likely due to hydrolysis-derived inhibitors, whereas low concentrations (10%) caused early growth cessation due to sugar depletion. Scale-up to 2 L in a bioreactor under batch operation in 30% OWH resulted in a comparable titer of (0.47 ± 0.03) g/L, confirming process scalability while contributing to foam control. Notably, transition to a fed-batch strategy with undiluted OWH as the sole feed significantly enhanced l-Tyr production, reaching 0.90 g/L. Expanding the carbon utilization profile of AROM3X to include arabinose further increased the titer to 1.06 g/L under the same conditions. These findings establish a foundation for sustainable bioproduction from food waste streams. A preliminary techno-economic assessment indicates that increasing titers and valorizing side streams could improve industrial viability and environmental impact.

Keywords

Biomanufacturing / l-Tyrosine / Second generation feed stock / Sustainability / Bioeconomy / Corynebacterium glutamicum

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Funding

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt(01DL21001)

Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu(120N728)

Marmara University Scientific Research Projects Committee(FYL-2023-10995)

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