Valorisation of fruit and vegetable waste from open markets for the production of 2,3-butanediol

•Fruit and vegetable waste have been used for 2,3-butanediol production.•A screening study showed that Enterobacter ludwigii is an efficient 2,3-butanediol producer.•Enterobacter ludwigii efficiently produces 2,3-butanediol on fruit and vegetable waste. The bacterial strain Enterobacter ludwigii FMCC 204 was selected as the most efficient 2,3-butanediol (BDO) producer among five strains when cultivated on glucose, fructose, mannose, arabinose, xylose, galactose and sucrose in shake flask cultures. Plums, apples and pears were used for the production of fermentation medium via sequential maceration, suspension in water and centrifugation to collect the supernatant. Sugar production from mixed vegetables was evaluated via sulphuric acid treatment leading to 65.8% (w/w) of hemicellulose hydrolysis yield at initial solid concentrations of 50g/L (on a dry basis) treated with 3% (v/v) H2SO4. Fed-batch cultures of E. ludwidgii on fruit derived feedstock resulted in BDO concentration, yield and productivity of 50g/L, 0.4g/g and 0.41g/L/h. BDO production from vegetable waste hydrolysates via fed-batch cultures led to BDO concentration of 17.6g/L. This study demonstrated that fruit and vegetable wastes from open markets can be used as fermentation feedstocks for BDO production.