Physicochemical Pretreatment of Agro-Waste Peels for Improved Hydrolysate Sugar Delivery

Physicochemical pretreatment of some food and fruit peel agro-wastes using different mineral acids and bases was done to identify common bench reagents that have good hydrolytic effect on the observed substrates. The reagents considered were H2O, 1% NaOH, 1% KOH, 1% Ca(OH)2, 1% H2SO4 , 1% HCl and 1% HNO3. The substrates studied were pineapple peels, banana peels, plantain peels, cassava peels, yam peels, potato peels and rice husk. It was observed that the substrates have target chemicals for optimum pretreatment or hydrolysis. Results also showed that 1% NaOH was the best reagent with a cumulative hydrolysate sugar weight yield of 17.97%. This was followed by 1% H2SO4 with a percentage cumulative hydrolysate sugar weight yield of 17.55%. Others were 1% HCl, 1% HNO3, 1% KOH, H2O, and 1% Ca(OH)2 with a percentage cumulative hydrolysate sugar weight yield of 17.39%, 14.82% 13.31%, 10.02% and 8.86% respectively. The hydrolysate sugar weights achieved from the considered substrates were substantial and made them suitable to be utilized for fermentation.