Tender coconut husk waste as a potential source for extraction of Xylooligosaccharides

The present study investigated the application of alkali and steam to extract xylan from tender coconut husk and then enzymatically hydrolysed to produce Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), which has the application as a prebiotic to improve the gut health. 82% of the xylan was separated from the husk using 20% NaOH and steam treatment for 60 minutes. Enzyme concentration and temperature had a substantial impact on xylose yield while enzyme concentration, temperature, time, and pH had an impact on xylobiose yield. Hemicelluloses in the husk and the presence of xylan in the extracted material were confirmed by FTIR analysis. 2.834 mg/ml of xylose and 2.21 mg/ml of xylobiose were produced at the optimum conditions of crude xylanase enzyme concentration of 5.0%, a pH of 5.4, a temperature of 65°C, and a 6-hour incubation time. From the present study, it has been observed that tender coconut husk is suitable for extracting xylan and XOS.