Effect of cavitation pretreatment on lactic acid production from food waste

Food waste (FW) fermentation to lactic acid (LA) represents a promising pathway for circular-economy valorisation. This study examined the use of low-frequency acoustic cavitation as a pretreatment strategy to improve FW solubilisation and enhance LA production under different substrate loadings, using two commonly applied anaerobic inocula. Cavitation substantially increased soluble organic matter availability and promoted LA formation, with higher substrate loadings generally leading to higher LA concentrations.