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, xylobrise, and xylotriese. 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.