Xylooligosaccharides: A comprehensive review of production, purification, characterization, and quantification

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), short-chain polymers with prebiotic properties, have gained significant commercial attention over the past few decades due to their potential as nutraceutical components. Derived from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), XOS serve as health promoting compounds with applications across multiple sectors, including food pharmaceutical and cosmetic. This comprehensive review provides an overview of XOS production, purification, characterization, and quantification, highlighting their derivation from various sources such as agricultural waste, agro-economical forest residues, and nutrient-dense energy crops. The production of XOS involves enzymatic hydrolysis, acid hydrolysis, and steam explosion, each offering distinct advantages and limitations in terms of cost-effectiveness and scalability for industrial applications. Methods for purification including chromatographic techniques, membrane filtration, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are evaluated based on their efficiency and feasibility. Characterization techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry (MS) provide detailed insight into XOS structure and composition. Conclusively, XOS are promising biological macromolecules with significant industrial and scientific interest due to their diverse applications and potential for cos-effective large-scale production.