BREAKDOWN OF GLUCOMANNAN ISOLATED FROM AMORPHOPHALLUS MUELLERI: OPTIMIZATION OF ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS CONDITIONS

The enzymatic breakdown of glucomannan from Amorphophallus muelleri (A. muelleri), a species related to konjac, using β-mannanase, is a promising approach to produce functional oligosaccharides. This enzymatic breakdown success depends critically on the operating parameters. Understanding their interactions is essential to optimize the hydrolysis process and product yield. This study utilized Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to investigate the effects of reaction time, pH, temperature, and enzyme-substrate (E/S) ratio on the hydrolysis, with the aim of maximizing the total reducing sugar (TRS) production. The results indicated that the E/S ratio, pH, and reaction time significantly affected hydrolysis efficiency (p < 0.05), while temperature had an insignificant impact (p > 0.05). The ideal conditions were determined to be an E/S ratio of 1:500 (v/v), pH 5.7, 41.5 °C, and 5 h, resulting in a TRS yield of 4.409 ± 0.030 mg/mL, with a difference of merely 1.46% from the expected values. This study demonstrates the viability of A. muelleri as a sustainable resource for oligosaccharides production and confirms that enzymatic hydrolysis coupled with RSM is an effective approach for process optimization.