Transforming Agro-Food Waste into Sustainable Bio-Emulsifiers for Industrial Applications

Agro-food waste, due to its abundance and high chemical and oxygen demand, poses both environmental and economic challenges. However, it is also a valuable source of polyphenols, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and fatty acids, making it a promising renewable raw material for producing value-added products. This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of novel bio-based emulsifiers derived from agro-food waste, specifically cheese whey permeate (CWP) and soybean meal (SBM). CWP, a major byproduct of the dairy industry, was used as a starting material to produce sugar fatty acid esters (SFAEs), a class of non-ionic surfactants known for their excellent interfacial tension reduction, biodegradability, and low toxicity. Meanwhile, soybean meal (SBM), a protein-rich residue from soybean oil extraction, was explored for its potential in generating high-value emulsifiers. A chemoenzymatic synthetic approach was employed in both cases, with reaction conditions optimized through chemometric studies. The resulting bio-emulsifiers were extensively evaluated for their surfactant properties, including static and dynamic interfacial tension reduction, as well as their ability to stabilize water-in-sunflower oil (W/O) emulsions in both simple and complex formulations over time. Additionally, computational modeling and rheological analysis of oil/water interfaces were conducted to evaluate long-term emulsion stability. This research highlights the potential of food waste as a renewable resource for sustainable bio-emulsifiers, contributing to eco-friendly industrial applications and advancing the principles of circular chemistry