Recent Advances in Butyrate Production from Food Waste Fermentation: Key Functional Microbes, Habitat Engineering, and Future Challenges

The global food waste (FW) problem is becoming increasingly severe, and efficiently converting it into high-value chemicals is crucial for promoting the circular economy. Butyrate, as a multifunctional short-chain fatty acid, has broad application prospects. This review systematically summarizes the research progress on butyrate production from FW via anaerobic fermentation. In particular, a comprehensive review was conducted of the core butyrate-producing microbial communities, which have not been systematically summarized in the existing literature,. The article points out that despite significant advancements in this field, challenges such as improving the selectivity and yield of butyrate, understanding complex microbial interaction mechanisms, reducing downstream separation costs, and expanding high-value application pathways remain critical barriers to industrial implementation. This review aims to integrate existing research insights to provide systematic theoretical support and technical references for the resource-oriented upgrading of FW and the green, efficient biomanufacturing of butyrate.