Isolation and purification of D-mannose from palm kernel.

An economically viable procedure for the isolation and purification of d-mannose from palm kernel was developed in this research. The palm kernel was catalytically hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid at 100 degrees C and then fermented by mannan-degrading enzymes. The solution after fermentation underwent filtration in a silica gel column, desalination by ion-exchange resin, and crystallization in ethanol to produce pure d-mannose in a total yield of 48.4% (based on the weight of the palm kernel). Different enzymes were investigated, and the results indicated that endo-beta-mannanase was the best enzyme to promote the hydrolysis of the oligosaccharides isolated from the palm kernel. The pure d-mannose sample was characterized by FTIR, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR spectra.