Fermentable sugars from agricultural wastes

Agricultural wastes (rich-lignocellulosic and rich-free sugar materials) are an attractive source of carbohydrates to develop bioprocesses for biobased products and bioenergy generation. Production of fermentable sugars from agricultural wastes from lignocellulosic materials requires the design of several strategies to hydrolyze the fibers, mainly hemicellulose and cellulose, using physical, thermal, chemical, biological, or combinations among them to break the glycosidic bonds that keep fermentable sugars polymerized for the development of bioprocesses. It is widely acknowledged that the sugars originating from cellulose–glucose are more readily fermentable, particularly in the production of ethanol, in comparison to the sugars derived from hemicellulose. The latter is characterized as more intricate and composed mainly of five-carbon sugars such as xylose. Rich-free sugar materials are an excellent substrate for fermentation to produce value-added compounds such as prebiotics. This chapter presents a detailed account and analysis of the crucial sources and varieties of fermentable sugars, with particular emphasis on the agricultural by-products utilized in the production of such sugars. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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