Valorisation of chewing gum production waste in bioethanol production: a response surface methodology study

Interest in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) is constantly growing all over the world. Chewing gum, which is in the group of pleasant and entertaining snacks preferred by people of all ages, especially children and young people, is one of the most consumed products in the food sector. Due to its remarkable production and the major components, chewing gum waste has the potential as an alternative sugar source for bioethanol production. To evaluate bioethanol production from chewing gum wastes, the sugar was first extracted, and directly fermented into ethanol under different conditions. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (fresh and dry) and Saccharomyces bayanus were used as the yeast. To determine the optimal fermentation medium, the response surface methodology (RSM) study was employed and the fermentation medium variables were tested such as agar, pepton and glucose (APG medium) concentrations. The APG medium in which the maximum bioethanol yield obtained was determined as 5 g/L agar, 10 g/L peptone and 5 g/L glucose. The highest ethanol yield under optimal APG medium was obtained as 9.1-4 g ethanol/L sugar after 72 h by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (fresh). The obtained results showed that chewing gum wastes can be utilised a potential source for the bioethanol production.