Starch saccharification by carbon-based solid acid catalyst

The hydrolysis of cornstarch using a highly active solid acid catalyst, a carbon material bearing SO3H, COOH and OH groups, was investigated at 353-393 K through an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an artificial neural network (ANN). ANOVA revealed that reaction temperature and time are significant parameters for the catalytic hydrolysis of starch. The ANN model indicated that the reaction efficiency reaches a maximum at an optimal condition (water, 0.8-1.0 mL; starch, 0.3-0.4 g; catalyst, 0.3 g; reaction temperature, 373 K; reaction time, 3 h). The relationship between the reaction and these parameters is discussed on the basis of the reaction mechanism. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.