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An Integrated Case Study on Fruit By-Products/Waste Management: Lactic Acid Bacteria Development, Artificial
Hiba Selmi1,2, Giovanni Pascoschi3, Antonietta Diaferio1
1Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Science, and Engineering (DAFNE), University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Agro-industrial fruit by-products were fermented using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to create functional food ingredients. Machine learning models predicted LAB growth, optimizing conditions for enhanced antioxidant and phenolic content in new food products.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology and Food Science
- Sustainable resource management
- Circular bio-economy
Background:
- Agro-industrial fruit by-products pose environmental challenges but offer opportunities for resource recovery.
- Valorization of these by-products can contribute to waste reduction and a circular bio-economy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To valorize tomato, apple, and orange by-products through lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation.
- To enhance the functional properties of these by-products for use as food ingredients.
- To develop and validate machine learning models for predicting LAB growth kinetics and optimizing fermentation.
Main Methods:
- Selected *Lactiplantibacillus plantarum* strains were used for fermentation of fruit by-products.
- Microbial growth dynamics were monitored, and data were used to build machine learning models.
- Models were validated by comparing predicted LAB growth with experimental results at 32 °C with a 10^8 CFU/mL inoculum.
- Fermented by-products were incorporated into food products, and their functional properties were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Machine learning models demonstrated reliable predictive capabilities for LAB growth kinetics, with low-to-moderate Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) values.
- Optimized fermentation conditions led to the development of food products with significantly enhanced antioxidant activity and total phenolic content.
- DPPH assay and phenolic analysis showed increases in antioxidant capacity and phenolic content in the final food products.
Conclusions:
- Lactic acid bacteria fermentation is an effective method for valorizing fruit processing by-products.
- Machine learning can successfully predict and optimize fermentation processes for enhanced functional ingredient production.
- Incorporating fermented by-products into food products improves their nutritional and functional profiles, supporting sustainable food systems.
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