Optimizing integrated multienzyme‐membrane system to maximize xylo‐oligosaccharide yield and eradicate inhibitors: addressing fouling and sugar purification in pineapple residue processing

BACKGROUND Xylo‐oligosaccharides (XOS) are high‐value prebiotic sugars generated from lignocellulosic biomass, which are increasingly used in bioprocessing industries. However, the presence of furfural produced during pretreatment complicates their recovery from biomass. This inhibitor not only hinders enzymatic hydrolysis, but also disrupts downstream fermentation, particularly alcoholic fermentation, where yeast activity is reduced. Valorization of pineapple waste via enzymatic hydrolysis and membrane separation provides a sustainable method for producing XOS while controlling inhibitory compounds. This study investigates the effects of operating parameters including pH, pressure, temperature and agitation speed on the simultaneous recovery of XOS and the mitigation of furfural, in correlation with membrane fouling behaviour. RESULTS One‐factor‐at‐a‐time screening identified favourable operating conditions at pH 5.5, 5 bar, 40 °C and 250 rpm, achieving 156% XOS recovery and 54% furfural removal. Secondary screening via two‐level factorial analysis identified ideal operating conditions at pH 8, 5 bar, 80 °C and 200 rpm, achieving 120% XOS yield with 23% furfural removal, whereas chromatographic analysis further confirmed the production of 0.3 g L −1 xylose corresponding to a 167% yield under the optimized conditions. Film theory analysis revealed superior mass transfer characteristics for the multienzyme system compared with single‐enzyme systems. CONCLUSION The integrated multienzyme‐membrane system effectively enhanced XOS recovery while facilitating inhibitor removal and mitigating membrane fouling during pineapple residue processing. The improved mass transfer performance and selective separation behaviour reveal the potential of this approach for sustainable lignocellulosic bioprocessing and bioactive sugar purification.