Cordeiro, AnaFernandes, AndreiaFerreira, Andreia S.Coelho, ElisabeteCoimbra, Manuel A.Peres, António M.Rodrigues, Lígia R.Amorim, Cláudia2026-06-052026-06-052026Cordeiro, Ana; Fernandes, Andreia; Ferreira, Andreia S.; Coelho, Elisabete; Coimbra, Manuel A.; Peres, António M.; Rodrigues, Lígia R.; Amorim, Cláudia (2026). Coffee silverskin fermentation in a single step for sustainable production of carbohydrate-based mixture rich in pectic oligosaccharides. Food and Bioproducts Processing. ISSN 0960-3085. 157, p. 1-110960-3085http://hdl.handle.net/10198/36841A competitive single-step fermentation using Bacillus subtilis 3610 was developed to convert coffee silverskin (CSS) into an oligosaccharide-rich carbohydrate mixture, mainly composed by pectic oligosaccharides (POS). CSS is an abundant by-product of the coffee industry, and POS are widely reported as emerging prebiotics, motivating sustainable production processes from agro-industrial by-products. In this study, OS were produced using CSS and CSS-derived pellets (CP) via a single-step fermentation leveraging the native pectinolytic activity of B. subtilis 3610. CP consistently outperformed CSS, achieving higher yields of reducing sugars at the optimal time (YRSₘₐₓ). After optimisation, a YRSₘₐₓ of 162 ± 7 mg·g⁻¹ was obtained at 8 h, 45°C and pH 7.0, with 10 g·L⁻¹ CP. The combined hydrolysis of CP with commercial xylanase and pectinase led to a synergetic activity potentially occurring during fermentation, where xylanase may disrupt cell walls to release pectin, while pectinase hydrolyses it into POS. Under optimal conditions, single-step fermentation achieved a significantly higher YRSmax than the combined enzymatic hydrolysis (141 ± 6 mg·g⁻¹ at 12 h, 1 U·mL−1 per enzyme). In aerated 3.2 L bioreactors, CP fermentation showed comparable performance to shaken-flask assays (YRSₘₐₓ 162 ± 2 vs. 162 ± 7 mg·g⁻¹; Pₘₐₓ 9.3 ± 0.1 vs. 9 ± 1 mg·g−1·h−1, respectively). The carbohydrate-based mixture obtained at optimal time contained a higher content of POS (uronic acids 78.8%mol) with a neutral xyloglucan-derived fraction. This study reinforces single-step fermentation as a simplified and competitive process for carbohydrate-based mixtures that avoid enzyme purchase. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers.engAgro-industrial by-productsPrebiotic carbohydratesSingle-step fermentationBioprocess optimizationjournal article10.1016/j.fbp.2026.04.001