Chemical hydrolysis of the polysaccharides of the tamarind seed

Abstract

Biotechnological processes with lignocellulose materials are promising technologies for the production of chemicals and energy involving the same main production stages: hydrolysis of the hemicel-lulose and the cellulose to monomeric sugars, fermentation, recovery of the product, and concentration. We studied the effect of different treatments on the release of reducing sugars (RS) from seeds. Three factors were tested: temperature from 86 to 130.2 °C; acid concentration, 0.32 to 3.68% (v/v); and exposure time, from 13.2 to 40 min. Two acids were tested. Temperature and time were the factors that had more effect on hydrolysis, whereas no interactions between factors had a significant effect on the release of RS. The best conditions for RS release were for both acids (2% v/v), 130.2 °C, and 30 min, with a concentration of about 110 g/L. Results suggest tamarind seed is a feasible option for xylitol production. © 2012, Sociedad Química de México.