Xylooligosaccharides:: manufacture and applications

Xylooligosaccharides (sugar oligomers made up of xylose units) are useful for a variety of purposes. This article reviews the production of xylooiigosaccharides from lignocellulosic materials (by chemical or enzymatic methods) and the purification of the end products, as weil as their application as food ingredients, with special attention to the beneficial effects caused on health by these types of compounds. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.