Use of Cocoa Mucilage in the Circular Economy

If we intend to generate a real change in the economic model of production and implement a well-founded circular economy, in which the components of reduce, reuse and recycle are considered, it is essential to develop a system that ensures proper classification and quantification of agricultural waste and by-products, prioritizing products with a greater margin of production at the national level to identify the highest levels of utilization and production linked to biomaterials or their derivatives related to research, development and innovation in the context of the bioeconomy.One of the most serious problems for both Ecuadorian agriculture and the agroindustrial sector is the excess of waste generated, but above all the inadequate utilization of such waste. Sugar mucilage is wasted in the process of aerobic and anaerobic fermentation of the cocoa bean. This sugary organic matter (9060 tons of mucilage per year) generates waste and pollution for the cocoa sector, a by-product that can be used to produce alcohol or other agro-industrial products such as organic herbicides, jellies or jams.