Objective
The global objective of the project is to recycle the coffee pulp and coffee husk by biotechnological processes.
General objectives of the research are :
* transformation of fresh coffee pulp into a stable and detoxified lactic acid silage product;
* utilization of the lactic acid silage for food and feed purposes and metabolite or enzyme production. Elimination of an agro-industrial pollutant in Latin America;
* recycling of coffee husk for mushroom and metabolite production;
* biodegradation of toxic compounds (caffeine, polyphenols);
* diversification of people's activity and employment in rural coffee-growing areas;
* optimization of infrastructures and personnel employment in coffee areas.
Expected Outcome
Mexican applications will concern the pulp produced by wet processing, Brazilian studies will use coffee husk produced by the dry processing with or without steam pressure treatment. Improvement in coffee agro-industry processes, leading to less contamination for the environment, and an increase in quality and aditionnal sources of benefits are a priority for Mexico and Brazil.
For Brazil, it is important to know what could be the potential utilizations of husk residues of coffee, before or after the steam-explosion process which allows to increase the biodigestibility and possible applications in mushroom production.
For Mexico, ensiling of coffee pulp and its further utilization could avoid the rapid degradation of the material, turning quickly into a very important source of contamination of the waters in coffee agro-industrial area. The stabilized and detoxified coffee pulp could be further utilized during the non crop season as animal feed, mushroom, fungal enzymes or metabolite production.
* Microbiological studies of coffee pulp silages (microbial ecology, biodiversity, isolation and selection of strains, physiological studies, inoculum production).
* Improvement of fungal strains for the production of tannases, decaffeinases, pectinases, cellulases and hemi-cellulases.
* Production of efficient mixtures of fungal enzymes by SSF (Solid Subtrate Fermentation) : cellulases, pectinases, caffeinases, tannases...).
* Studies of the effect of composite inocula (lactic acid bacteria + fungal enzyme cocktails) on the fermentation process : stabilization and detoxification of the coffee pulp.
* Pretreatment of dry coffee husk by vapor and chemical method into liquid and solid fraction and application of bioprocesses for production of mushroom or metabolites.
* Breakdown of caffeine, tannins and polyphenols by fungi and lactic acid bacteria.
* Biodigestibility of fermented coffee pulp and further utilizations in food and feed industries : i) balanced feed for ruminant, ii) fish, iii) production of Pleurotus.
* Economic analysis and technical feasability of coffee pulp silage in Mexico, Brazil and Latin America.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryorganic acids
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureindustrial cropsfodder
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybioprocessing technologiesfermentation
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandryanimal feed