Optimisation of the hydrolysis of melon seed (Citrullus lanatus) husk with hydrochloric acid using response surface methodology

This study optimised the development of fermentable sugars from melon seed peels via hydrochloric acid hydrolysis. The optimum conditions for the sugar yield were determined using response surface methodology considering; acid concentration (2.5-3.5M), pre-treatment temperature (80-100 degrees C), and time (1-3 hrs) as the independent factors while sugar yield is the dependent factor. The characterisation results from SEM and FTIR indicated that melon seed peels contain a significant amount of cellulose that can be suitably hydrolysed. The experimental result showed that the independent variables had a significant effect on the total sugar concentration while the ANOVA indicated a second-order polynomial model with an R-2 value of 0.9560. Numerical optimisation revealed that optimal values of 3.50M acid concentration, time of 1.06 hrs, pre-treatment temperature of 89.93 degrees C gave a predicted sugar yield of 32.222%.