Immobilization of endoglucanases and xylanases on magnetic supports: evaluation of the hydrolysis potential of agroindustrial by-products in oligosaccharides

• Grant number: 21/07058-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Masarin
• Grantee: Fernando Masarin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Avelino Corma Canos ; João Renato Carvalho Muniz ; Michel Brienzo

Abstract

The main by-product of sugarcane processing and banana cultivation are sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and banana pseudostem (BPS). Currently, due to the increase in the production of sugarcane in recent years, large volumes of SCB have been accumulating in sugar-ethanol plants. In the case of BPS, for each ton of bananas produced, 3 tons are generated, which is abandoned in the soil, accumulating and decomposing into hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. These situations justify the call for the use of these by-products for the production of bio-products with higher added value. In this context, an alternative is the use of SCB and BPS for the production of functional foods that are seen as health promoters, and their use is associated with improving the gastrointestinal tract, in addition to reducing the risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases. Among them, stand out the xylooligosaccharides (XOS) and cellooligosaccharides (COS), which can be obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis of renewable sources with high availability and low cost, such as SCB and PCB. However, the use of enzymes in large quantities is limited depending on their cost, so to overcome these limitations, enzyme immobilization appears as a promising technique with great potential. Thus, the present project proposes the evaluation of immobilization of endoglucanases and xylanases on supports with a high surface area, magnetic characteristics and the ability to reuse in the hydrolysis of cellulose and xylan from SCB and BPS aiming the production of COS and XOS. (AU)