Enhanced Production of Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Property of Agricultural Wastes Through Solid-state Fermentation

Abstract

The considerable amount of agricultural wastes generated yearly is creating disposal concerns to the environment. As a result of the abundance of bioactive molecules in agricultural wastes, numerous ways are applied to utilise them as substrates in fermentation. Using agricultural wastes as substrates can save production costs while also reducing pollution. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been devised as a technique for the synthesis and improvement of phenolic compounds because of their cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits. During fermentation, phenolic compounds are either separated from the substrates by enzymatic actions or newly synthesized by the microorganisms. The present review aims to investigate the effect of SSF on the enhancement of total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant property of agricultural wastes. The involvement of enzymatic activities from different microbes in the changes of TPC and antioxidant activity during fermentation were discussed. Through all the findings, rice bran is the most common agricultural wastes used by researchers along with Aspergillus strains as the majorly used microbes for the enhancement of TPC and antioxidant properties during SSF. It is concluded that SSF has great potential in enhancing the TPC and antioxidant property of agricultural wastes along with a variety of microorganisms utilised during the process.