Valorizing meat processing industry brines to produce added-value organic acids.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Biotechnology
• Industrial Microbiology
• Waste Valorization

Background:

• Meat processing generates high-salinity wastewater rich in organic matter.
• Conventional wastewater treatment is energy-intensive and costly.
• Valorization of meat brines offers a sustainable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the anaerobic fermentation of meat brines for organic acid production.
• To optimize fermentation parameters like pH and substrate-to-inoculum ratio.
• To develop a selective separation method for salt and volatile fatty acids (VFAs).

Main Methods:

• Testing various meat brines for acidification potential.
• Optimizing fed-batch fermentation parameters (pH 6.5-7.3, 6-day hydraulic retention time).
• Employing electrodialysis for VFA and salt separation.

Main Results:

• Achieved 27% acidification in meat brines with high electrical conductivity (up to 155 mS cm⁻¹).
• Identified acetic and propionic acids as major VFAs produced (39% and 22%, respectively).
• Demonstrated 80% VFA recovery using electrodialysis at low current density.

Conclusions:

• Anaerobic fermentation is a viable method for valorizing meat processing wastewater.
• Optimized fermentation and electrodialysis enable efficient organic acid production and separation.
• The proposed approach supports circular economy principles by converting industrial waste into valuable products.