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A tailored thin-film composite (TFC) NF membrane may offer alternative separation technique to widely used chromatographic techniques in separating two monosaccharides with similar properties. The aim of this paper is to pinpoint the optimum condition in preparing TFC membranes with the highest xylose separation factor. To achieve this, curing time, curing temperature, and reaction time were optimised using central composite design (CCD). Polyethersulfone (PES) was used as a support membrane for interfacial polymerisation (IP) of two active monomers, namely triethanolamine (TEOA) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The xylose separation factor was chosen as the response for this study. In addition, occurrence of IP reaction was verified by visual interpretation using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The chemical elements in TFC membrane and its functional groups were determined …