Hydrolysis of isolated coffee mannan and coffee extract by mannanases of Sclerotium rolfsii.

Different mannanase preparations obtained from the filamentous fungus Sclerotium rolfsii were used for the hydrolysis of coffee mannan, thus reducing significantly the viscosity of coffee extracts. Mannan is the main polysaccharide component of these extracts and is responsible for their high viscosity, which negatively affects the technological processing of instant coffee. Coffee mannan was isolated from green defatted Arabica beans by delignification, acid wash and subsequent alkali extraction with a yield of 12.8%. Additionally, coffee extract polysaccharides were separated by alcohol precipitation and were found to form nearly half of the coffee extract dry weight. These isolated mannans as well as the mannan in the coffee extract were efficiently hydrolysed by the S. rolfsii mannanase, which resulted in significant viscosity reductions. Concurrently, the reducing sugar content increased continuously due to the release of various mannooligosaccharides including mannotetraose, mannotriose, and mannobiose. Both a partially purified, immobilised and a soluble, crude mannanase preparation were successfully employed for the degradation of coffee mannan.