The food industry requires new production models that include more environmentally friendly waste management
practices, considering that the environmental loads of solid waste and wastewater associated with this
sector cause damage to the receiving ecosystems. The approach considered in this study focuses on the design
and environmental assessment of an enzymatic process for the valorization of ferulic acid present in the effluent
of a corn tortilla plant. The ferulic acid can be immobilized on chitosan so that the ferulic acid grafted chitosan
can be used as a bioactive film with enhanced antioxidant properties with potential applications in the
biotechnology sector.
Its real projection approach requires the evaluation of its environmental and economic performance, trying to
identify its benefits and potential in the value chain, using the Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) as a phase for
the conceptual design of the process and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for the environmental
evaluation. It should be noted that the TEA indicators are promising, since the values of the financial indicators
obtained are representative of the economic profitability, which makes the ferulic acid valorization a viable
process. In terms of the environmental impact of the process, the buffer dose and the chitosan production process
are identified as the main critical points. This double benefit in environmental and economic terms shows that
the valorization of ferulic acid for chitosan functionalization is a promising alternative to improve the sustainability
performance of corn processing.