What Is Xylan?

Xylan is the most abundant type of polysaccharide in nature except cellulose and the main chain consists of xylose residues linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. They are linked to other cell wall components through interactions such as covalent and hydrogen bonds. As the only five-carbon sugar polymer, xylan has physical and chemical properties that distinguish it from other polysaccharides. Currently, xylan is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, hydrogels prepared by xylan cross-linking have a wide range of applications in the biomedical field, such as skin care materials, wound dressings, drug delivery carriers, and so on.

Fig.1 Types and structures of common xylans. (CD BioGlyco)

Xylan Analysis Service at CD BioGlyco

Xylan comes from a wide variety of sources and has a promising future. CD BioGlyco offers comprehensive xylan analytical services based on our Analysis of Polysaccharides. Our analytical services include but are not limited to isolation and purification of xylan, structural analysis, monosaccharide composition analysis, relative molecular mass analysis, and viscosity analysis.

• Separation and purification
  CD BioGlyco offers centrifugal separation, enzymatic separation, membrane separation, and precipitation separation. Centrifugation is one of the more common methods, and this physical action does not affect the structure or properties of the extract. Membrane separation is an efficient method for concentrating and purifying xylan extracts and can be used to separate oligosaccharides and small molecules such as acids, bases, and salts from xylan solutions.
• Structure
  CD BioGlyco provides infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, methylation, and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing services to fully analyze the glycosidic bonding of xylan and its basic backbone structure. For the branched chain condition of xylan, we use the Congo red reaction to analyze.
• Monosaccharide composition
  CD BioGlyco offers a gas chromatography service to effectively analyze the monosaccharide composition of xylan, as well as the corresponding molar ratio of the monosaccharides.
• Relative molecular mass and molecular weight distribution
  For molecular weight testing, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is an effective method.
• Viscosity analysis
  CD BioGlyco offers steady-state rheological behavior and dynamic rheological behavior analysis in which the viscosity and viscous behavior of xylan can be tested over a range of concentrations and temperatures.

Fig.2 Procedures and methods of xylan analysis. (CD BioGlyco)

Publication

Paper Title: Molecular modification, structural characterization, and biological activity of xylans

Technology: IR

Journal: Carbohydrate Polymers

Published: 2021

Results:

Table 1 Chemical shift values corresponding to functional groups.

The detection of characteristic absorption peaks based on the infrared spectrum (IR) can be used to observe the preliminary changes in the structure of xylans, including glycosidic bonds, sugar configurations, and substituents. Table 1 shows some of the new characteristic peaks that appeared after the molecular modification of xylans.

Applications

• Xylan analysis can be used to research intestinal dysbiosis.
• In the medical field, xylan can be used in the development of medical wound dressings.
• Xylan can be used in the development of drug-delivery vehicles.

Advantages

• We have a professional research team to provide comprehensive xylan analysis services. This includes purification, separation, structural analysis, and so on.
• Our analytical methods are highly efficient and high quality, which greatly saves our clients' time.
• The xylan analysis services we provide help to explore the structure and biological activity of carbohydrates in depth.

CD BioGlyco has accumulated extensive experience in the field of polysaccharide analysis. We provide reliable and comprehensive xylan analysis service to every client. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.