PRODUCTS OF HYDROLYSIS OF BEECHWOOD ACETYL-4-O-METHYLGLUCURONOXYLAN BY A XYLANASE AND AN ACETYL XYLAN ESTERASE

Simultaneous hydrolysis of acetyl-4-O-methylglucuronoxylan by xylanase and acetyl xylan esterase leads to the highest recoveries of acetic acid, xylobiose, and xylotriose. Treatment with xylanase prior to deacetylation leads to a broad spectrum of neutral and uronic acid-substituted xylooligomers, whereas deacetylation followed by xylanase hydrolysis results in the liberation of fewer but more uniform xylan fragments, with xylobiose as the main neutral degradation product and (4-O-methylglucuronosyl)xylotriose as the main acidic product.