DESCRIPTION

Xylooligosaccharides occur as a white or pale yellow powder, or as a clear, yellow, viscous liquid. Xylooligosaccharides are a mixture of water-soluble, nondigestible oligosaccharides composed of 2–9 molecules, mainly xylose linked with β-1,4-glycosidic bonds. The commercial products contain small amounts of non-xylose monosaccharides, namely glucose and arabinose, bonded on the xylooligosaccharide structures and as mono- and di-saccharides such as glucose, xylose, arabinose, fructose, cellobiose, and sucrose. Xylooligosaccharides are produced from xylan-rich, lignocellulosic materials (e.g., corncobs, sugarcanes) by extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, separation, purification, concentration, and drying to produce the ingredients of commerce.