Hydrolysis of Hemicelluloses Using Combinations of Xylanases and Feruloyl Esterases

Hemicelluloses are heteropolysaccharides that occur in many plant cell walls. Usually hemicelluloses consist of a xylan backbone highly substituted with sugar side chains and with acetyl, feruloyl, coumaroyl, and other groups; the polymer is linked to protein, cellulose, and other cell wall components. The hemicellulose component of the cell wall helps prevent infection, provides strength, and protects against other external agents. Plant pathogens hydrolyze the plant cell wall, including the hemicellulose component, prior to invasion, and dead plant cell walls are degraded by Saprophytic fungi and other microbes to utilize the components as energy. This digestive process also occurs in ruminants and in the colon of humans, and is catalyzed by gut microflora.