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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420105
Research Project: New Sustainable Processes, Preservation Technologies, and Product Concepts for Specialty Crops and Their Co-Products

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Techno-economic analysis of antioxidant peptides production from the whole sorghum stillage

Author
item LIU, XUANBO - Virginia Tech
item LI, YONGHUI - Kansas State University
item Xu, Yixiang
item HUANG, HAIBO - Virginia Tech

Submitted to: Food and Bioproducts Processing
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/3/2025
Publication Date: 1/27/2025
Citation: Liu, X., Li, Y., Xu, Y., Huang, H. 2025. Techno-economic analysis of antioxidant peptides production from the whole sorghum stillage. Food and Bioproducts Processing. 150:171-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2025.01.004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2025.01.004

Interpretive Summary: Sorghum presents a viable biomass option for ethanol production, offering a means to address the pressing issue of global warming stemming from fossil fuel usage. However, post-sorghum bioethanol production generates a substantial volume of fresh sorghum stillage as waste, which poses significant handling and disposal challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic feasibility of converting whole sorghum stillage into antioxidant peptides through enzymatic hydrolysis and to identify potential strategies for cost reduction. This research is the first to estimate the production costs of natural antioxidant peptides from whole sorghum stillage and to identify the major cost contributors. The results are anticipated to serve as a pivotal reference for optimizing and commercializing antioxidant peptide production from other plant-based protein-rich agricultural by-products.

Technical Abstract: This study conducts a techno-economic analysis (TEA) of producing natural antioxidant peptides from sorghum stillage through enzymatic hydrolysis utilizing three distinct enzymes. The process design entails enzymatic hydrolysis, followed by separation and drying processes to yield both an antioxidant peptide product and a high-fiber co-product. Three distinct scenarios were examined, and each considered different protease sources and enzymatic hydrolysis conditions: Alcalase, Neutrase, and Flavourzyme, respectively. It is assumed that the processing facility is adjacent to a sorghum bioethanol plant, generating 93.7 metric tons (MT) of fresh sorghum stillage per hour. Total capital investments (TCI) were estimated at 60.8M USD, 60.9M USD, and 59.4M USD for scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The minimum selling price (MSPP) of antioxidant peptides was determined to be 1,048 USD/MT, 1,098 USD/MT, and 2,578 USD/MT for scenarios 1 through 3, respectively. These values indicate the economic viability of the processing compared to market prices of protein and artificial antioxidant products. Furthermore, an economic sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify critical parameters influencing the economic performance of the process. It was found that implementing advancements in processing parameters and reductions in economic variables could significantly decrease the minimum selling price to 793 USD/MT. This study furnishes essential economic metrics for antioxidant peptide production from whole sorghum stillage, offering valuable insights applicable to the treatment of other grain stillage or protein-rich agricultural waste.