During the anaerobic digestion (AD) of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW), excessive particle size reduction can lead to the overproduction and inhibition of methanogenic microorganisms. This paper presents an in-depth analysis through experimental assays, modeling, and response surface analysis of the effect of particle size on methane production. A simple model was proposed considering the inhibition of the growth of methanogenic microorganisms and surface-based hydrolysis kinetics. The model parameters were estimated using experimental data from batch systems fed with FVW of varying particle sizes (ranging from 1.8 to 1000 μm). Response surface methodology establishes a statistical model for estimating methane production based on particle size and concentration. Numerical and statistical analyses were conducted using Matlab R2024a and Minitab 24 software. A model with an R² of 0.89 was obtained, which determined an optimal concentration of 8.2 $\mathrm{k}\mathrm{g}·{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$ and a particle size of 742.3 $\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$, yielding a methane production of 303.3 ${\mathrm{m}}^3·\mathrm{k}{\mathrm{g}}^{-1} \mathrm{V}\mathrm{S}$, similar to the experimentally obtained range of 300.95 to 316.7 ${\mathrm{m}}^3·\mathrm{k}{\mathrm{g}}^{-1} \mathrm{V}\mathrm{S}$.

The present study evaluated the effect of convective drying on the physicochemical, functional, and microstructural properties of the powders of leaves of Agave angustifolia Haw (agave espadin) and Agave rhodacantha Trel (agave mexicano) at temperatures of 70, 90, and 110 °C. The leaves correspond to the agro-industrial waste generated by the mezcal industry. The results indicate that convective drying at a temperature of 110 °C induces the greatest microstructural modification of the powders and improves their functional properties compared to thermal treatments at 70 and 90 °C. The obtained powders in the present investigation show important contents of dietary fiber in a range of 45.53 ± 0.07 to 55.31 ± 1.60 g/100 g. According to the results of physicochemical analysis, the obtained powders show high storage stability, pointing out that the employment of convective drying in the processing of agave leaves at high temperatures is an emerging tool for the obtention of waste-derived powders with high impact in the development of future functional foods, while contributing to the mitigation of the environmental impact of the mezcal industry.

The main commercial variety of coffee is the Coffea arabica specie, however, it is very susceptible to damage caused by nematodes, for this reason scions of the C. arabica specie are used on ro-busta (Coffea canephora) rootstocks to improve tolerance to these microorganisms, because they modify the organoleptic, nutraceutical and nutritional characteristics. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of five roasting degrees on commercial beans (light, medium light, medi-um, medium, medium dark and dark) in two varieties of Coffea arabica species (Colombia and Costa Rica) and their respective scions on C. canephora of the Romex variety. The scion of the Co-lombia variety with the medium dark roast had the highest concentration of caffeine, while the coffee beans of the Costa Rica variety with the light roast grade had the highest concentration of chlorogenic acid (5-CQA), while the highest acrylamide content was found in the scion of the Co-lombia variety with the medium light roast beans and nutritional content differs considerably between varieties, however, there is similarity between roasting degrees. The degree of roasting, variety and scion of coffee influences the organoleptic, nutraceutical and nutritional content of the coffee infusion.