The study involves the use of commercial cellulase Cellic CTec2 in combination with two in-house xylanases, PxXyn10A (XynA), a recombinant purified enzyme from Paenibacillus xylanivorans A59, and a xylanase enzymatic extract from native Moesziomyces aphidis PYCC 5535T (MaPYCC 5535T), for the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated blue agave bagasse (BAB) at the high solids load of 20% (w/v). Three different combinations of cellulase and xylanases were evaluated. When Cellic^® CTec2 was used at a dosage of 10 FPU/g oven-dried solids (ODS) supplemented with XynA or MaPYCC 5535T at an endo-xylanase dosage of 100 U/g ODS, increases in the xylose yield of 30% and 33%, respectively, were obtained. When applying in-house xylanases alone (at an endo-xylanase dosage of 100 U/g ODS), xylan in BAB was selectively hydrolyzed into xylose with 5% yield with MaPYCC 5535T, while no xylose was detected with XynA. Interestingly, a synergic effect of Cellic^® CTec 2 with both xylanases was observed when using a low dosage of 1 FPU/g ODS (allowing for some liquefaction of the reaction mixture), promoting xylose and glucose release by either xylanase. A higher concentration of monomeric sugars was obtained with 10 FPU/g ODS of Cellic^® Ctec 2 supplemented with 100 U/g ODS of MaPYCC 5535T, followed by XynA. The improvement in saccharification through the synergistic combination of in-house xylanases and commercial cellulases allows for the obtention of sugar-rich hydrolysates, which enhances the technical sustainability of the process. Hydrolysates were then fermented using recombinant Cellux 4^TM yeast to yield 45 g/L ethanol, representing an increase of about 30% with respect to the control obtained with only the commercial cellulase cocktail. The surface modification of agave biomass with the different combinations of enzymes was evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The growing demand for plant-based protein foods that meet nutritional needs and are also palatable to consumers has given way to meat analogues.

BACKGROUND: Citrus essential oils (EO), particularly orange essential oil (OEO) and pectin, are high‐value chemical products widely used across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, detergents, and cosmetics. These compounds are present in the residual by‐products generated by juice production industries, and their recovery and valorization have been the subject of research for years. Methods ranging from traditional extraction processes to emerging technologies have been reported. This study presents a novel, sustainable method for utilizing citrus waste from a processing company in Mexico. It is based on a sequential treatment involving pulsed electric fields (PEF) and reactive extrusion on a twin‐screw extruder. RESULTS: The twin‐screw extruder was modified through the integration of modular components and two side filters for the separation of OEO and pectin. With a brief PEF exposure of just 40 μs at a low field intensity of 1 kV cm ⁻¹ , the extraction yield of OEO from the raw waste increased by approximately 50% compared to the untreated control. The quality of the extracted oil was confirmed using gas chromatography. Simultaneously, 43% of the pectin was recovered through the extruder's side streams. CONCLUSION: The proposed sequential PEF and reactive extrusion treatment is a novel and competitive approach for the simultaneous extraction of essential oil and pectin from citrus industrial waste with competitive values as compared to reports in the literature. Further optimization of operating conditions and detailed characterization of the extracted pectin are recommended to enhance the process efficiency and product quality. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).