Source: SEAMEO BIOTROP's Research Grant | 2010
Abstract:
Composition of dried sago pith was mainly starch and fiber components. Direct conversion of sago pith into glucose will reserve the water and save the energy for starch extraction and starch drying. This research developed the saccharification process of sago starch and fiber directly from sago pith by using microwave heating treatment and enzymatic process, and produced fermentable sugars. Conversion process included the pretreatment by microwave heating in water; starch, cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis into fermentable sugar. The research improved the yield of fermentable sugars production by using simultant amylolytic, cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes. Liquifying process conducted using amylase on 95oC, while saccharifying process by consortium of amyloglucosidase, pullulanase, cellulase and xylanase on 50oC. The resuts shows that direct heating of sago pith in water by microwave treatment can swell and gelatinize the starch, make the fiber more amorphous, and more susceptible for enzyme reaction. Gelatinization of starch needs time to penetrate the water into granules. Microwave heating increased the depolymerization level with DP 2.4 – 17.2 of sugar in liquifaction, while autoclaving produced DP 7.3-12.8, and DP 2.2-5.8 in saccharification, while autoclaving produced DP 3.0-3.3 of sugar.Keywords : sago pith, microwave heating, amylase, cellulase, xylanase
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