ABSTRACT
Agro-industrial waste, being rich in nutrients, is used nowadays as an alternative for the production of bio-products like bioenergy, biofuels, and high value-added chemicals. Organic acids are biochemicals that have gained worldwide attention due to their vast industrial applications. Microbial fermentation processes require carbohydrates and related nutrients as substrates for organic acid production. However, the fermentative production of organic acids from synthetic substrates is not economical. Thus, agro-industrial waste residues can be potential substrates for the production of organic acids due to their wide availability, low cost, and high nutrition. This can be economical and can solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by the release of these wastes into land and water bodies. This chapter provides an insight into the production of major organic acids, agro-industrial substrates used for their production, various types of fermentation methods, downstream processing, and applications of these organic acids in various industries.
