Goma xantana: perspectivas para uma agricultura sustentável

Abstract

In Brazil, agriculture is one of the main sources of income, but it requires improvements to become more efficient and sustainable. Innovative materials, such as xanthan gum, are promising due to their rheological properties, which can enhance agricultural practices. Produced by Xanthomonas spp. during aerobic fermentation, xanthan is a biodegradable exopolysaccharide with a growing market. However, high production costs pose a challenge, and obtaining it from agro-industrial waste emerges as a promising sustainable alternative. Given these challenges, this study had two main objectives: conducting a scientometric analysis on the use of xanthan gum in agriculture and the application of agro-industrial waste in its production to promote sustainability and improve agricultural productivity, and analyzing regional agroindustrial waste regarding its nutritional potential. Using the Web of Science database, three main searches were conducted with keyword combinations related to xanthan gum, agriculture, sustainability, and agro-industrial waste. Documents published between 1982 and September 2024 were analyzed using CiteSpace [trade mark] and Microsoft Excel [trade mark], allowing the identification of trends, authors, keywords, and involved countries. The results highlighted a significant increase in publications since 2016, demonstrating the growing interest in the agricultural and sustainable applications of the biopolymer. Brazil emerged as one of the most productive countries in this field, ranking behind India and China. Notably, researcher Janice Druzian leads studies on xanthan gum production from agro-industrial waste. The keyword analysis revealed the evolution of research, initially focused on production and optimization, and more recently on applications such as water recovery and waste utilization. These findings emphasize the importance of xanthan gum as a sustainable solution for waste reuse and the development of innovative technologies. This study also analyzed two byproducts generated in Brazil: whey and corn steep liquor, derived from the dairy and corn processing industries, respectively. These by-products were physicochemically characterized in terms of carbon, nitrogen, protein content, total reducing sugars, chemical oxygen demand, and pH, and were compared using statistical analyses. The results indicated that both whey and corn steep liquor have compositions suggesting their viability as substrates for xanthan gum production, with suitable carbon contents of 8.95% and 31.00% (w/v), and nitrogen contents of 0.31% and 6.84% (w/v), respectively. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the two, yet both exhibit characteristics suitable for biopolymer production. This study demonstrates that xanthan gum can be produced from waste materials such as whey and corn steep liquor, providing a new purpose for materials that would otherwise be discarded. Additionally, future research can explore the combination of these byproducts to enhance their utilization. The study highlighted the growing application of xanthan in agriculture, bridging theory and practice. While the scientometric analysis revealed the progression of research, the experimental tests indicated the potential of these substrates for its production. This reinforces the importance of integrating both approaches to advance sustainable solutions.