Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable source of raw
material for the production of a wide variety of
compounds. The thesis deals with the production of
xylo-oligosaccharides from agricultural residues
(typical from the Mediterranean region of Spain)
with potential applications in the food and
pharmaceutical fields. The xylo-oligosaccharides
were produced by autohydrolysis reaction varying the
temperature and reaction time. All the xylo-
oligosaccharides obtained showed structural features
of a partially O-acetylated 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan
with different degrees of substitution depending on
the raw material used. Several purification methods
were tested for the removal of impurities and/or
separation in different molecular weight fractions,
like precipitation, ultrafiltration using polymeric
membranes and adsorption of impurities onto
activated carbons. The antioxidant activity and the
immunomodulatory activity ofxylo-oligosaccharides
were also tested. It was found that all of them have
a strong antioxidant activity compared with that of
natural products, making them potential candidates
for their use as food additives.
material for the production of a wide variety of
compounds. The thesis deals with the production of
xylo-oligosaccharides from agricultural residues
(typical from the Mediterranean region of Spain)
with potential applications in the food and
pharmaceutical fields. The xylo-oligosaccharides
were produced by autohydrolysis reaction varying the
temperature and reaction time. All the xylo-
oligosaccharides obtained showed structural features
of a partially O-acetylated 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan
with different degrees of substitution depending on
the raw material used. Several purification methods
were tested for the removal of impurities and/or
separation in different molecular weight fractions,
like precipitation, ultrafiltration using polymeric
membranes and adsorption of impurities onto
activated carbons. The antioxidant activity and the
immunomodulatory activity ofxylo-oligosaccharides
were also tested. It was found that all of them have
a strong antioxidant activity compared with that of
natural products, making them potential candidates
for their use as food additives.