BIOCONVERSION OF SOLID FOOD WASTES TO ETHANOL

Solid food processing wastes and by-products are cofermented with chee se whey to produce ethanol, The experimental procedure involves the us e of an enzymatic process to convert starch and lactose into fermentab le sugars. These reducing sugars are then fermented to alcohol by dist iller's dried yeast and a high-ethanol tolerant yeast, Saccharomyces c erevisiae. Cheese whey is used as a wetting agent and provides macro-a nd micronutrients for the microorganisms. Cofermenting food processing wastes with cheese whey, in the presence of high-and low-temperature enzymes, induces a 33-36% increase in alcohol yield, This procedure al so significantly reduces the fermentation time from 60 to 12 h.