Engineering Coffee Cherry Pulp-derived Activated Carbon for Cellulase Immobilization and its Role in Regulating Non-Sterile Coffee Fermentation

Sutoyo Sutoyo; Siswoyo Siswoyo; Achmad Maududie; Ferry Wiranto; Muhamat Abdul  Rohim; Riza Bahtiar  Sulistyan; Yuliatin Azizah; Saiful Amin; Nurshadrina Kartika  Sari; Kahar Muzakhar

doi:10.5614/j.math.fund.sci.2026.58.1.2

Authors

Sutoyo Sutoyo Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Jember University, Jalan Kalimantan No. 37, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Siswoyo Siswoyo Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Jember University, Jalan Kalimantan No. 37, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Achmad Maududie Department of Information System, Faculty of Computer Science, Jember University, Jalan Kalimantan No. 37, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Ferry Wiranto Faculty of Science, Technology, and Industry (FSTI), Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Muhamat Abdul Rohim Faculty of Science, Technology, and Industry (FSTI), Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Riza Bahtiar Sulistyan Faculty of Economics and Business, Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jember, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Yuliatin Azizah Faculty of Economics and Business, Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jember, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Saiful Amin Faculty of Economics and Business, Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jember, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Nurshadrina Kartika Sari Faculty of Economics and Business, Institut Teknologi dan Sains Mandala, Jember, Jalan Sumatra No.118-120, Jember, 68121, Indonesia
Kahar Muzakhar Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Jember University, Jalan Kalimantan No. 37, Jember, 68121, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/j.math.fund.sci.2026.58.1.2

Keywords:

activated carbon, cellulase immobilization, coffee fermentation, microbial growth, reducing sugar

Abstract

During non-sterile coffee fermentation, microbial activity and substrate availability change as the mucilage is degraded. Activated carbon prepared from Arabica coffee cherry pulp by carbonization and ZnCl? activation was used as a support for cellulase immobilization. Cellulase produced by Cytobacillus sp. isolated from civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) feces was immobilized by adsorption and used as part of the fermentation starter system. The immobilization efficiency was 80% and the immobilized cellulase had a specific activity of 613.22 U/mg. During fermentation, cellulase activity decreased from 2.45 U/mL at 0 h to 1.71 U/mL at 72 h, with approximately 70% of the initial activity remaining. At 48 h, the reducing sugar concentration was 10.7 mg/mL in the fermentation with immobilized cellulase, compared with 6.1 mg/mL in the control. The microbial growth rate was 0.132 h? with immobilized cellulase and 0.084 h? in the control. Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.93 between cellulase activity and reducing sugar concentration, 0.91 between reducing sugar concentration and microbial growth, and 0.88 between cellulase activity and microbial growth rate. Immobilized cellulase was associated with changes in sugar availability and microbial growth during non-sterile coffee fermentation.

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