Production of xylooligosaccharides from corn husk by xylanase treatment

           Corn husk is a major waste derived from the economically significant corn industry. This waste is plentiful, inexpensive, and readily available, thus representing as a potential raw material for lignocellulosic-based biochemical and bioproduct production. The chemical composition analysis indicated that corn husk contained 37.39% hemicellulose (xylan), 29.07% cellulose (glucan), and 2.68% crude protein. Therefore, corn husk can be a source of xylan for xylooligosaccharide production. Herein, 5% (w/v) untreated and autoclaved (121 °C and 15 min) corn husks were treated with xylanase enzyme at 55 °C for 72 h. The reducing sugar concentrations increased from 24 to 72 h-incubation from 0.35 to 0.46 mg/mL and 0.10 to 0.16 mg/mL for untreated and autoclaved corn husks, respectively. Thin layer chromatography analysis indicated that the resulting products from hydrolysis of untreated and autoclaved corn husks were a series of xylooligosaccharides, ranging from xylobiose to xylohexaose. To investigate whether the generated xylooligosaccharides could promote probiotics' growth, Lactobacillus acidophilus was tested in the medium containing untreated and autoclaved corn husk in the presence of xylanase. Results showed that L. acidophilus grew well in both media, indicating the generated XOS has prebiotic effects.