Production of substituted oligosaccharides by hydrolytic processing of barley husks

Barley husks have been subjected to nonisothermal treatments in aqueous media in order to cause the selective degradation of their hemicellulose fraction. The concentration profiles of araban, xylan, oligosaccharides, monosaccharides, furfural, furfural-degradation products, acetyl groups, and acetic acid have been experimentally measured. Kinetic models describing the time course of hemicellulose-decomposition products have been developed. On the basis of the model predictions, operational conditions leading to maximal concentrations of oligosaccharides (suitable as prebiotic components of foods) have been identified, and the hemicellulose-degradation products obtained under these conditions have been quantified. Additional experiments have been carried out to identify nonsaccharide byproducts present in autohydrolysis liquors.