FERULATED ARABINOXYLANS FROM CEREALS. A REVIEW OF THEIR PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND GELLING CAPABILITY

Abstract

FerulFerulated arabinoxylans are the primary non-starch polysaccharides in cereal grains. They are located in thecell walls of endosperm, aleurone layer and pericarp. There are reports of their presence in major cereal grains including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rye (Secale cereale L. M. Bieb.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (A. sativa), rice (Oryza sativa L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), maize (Zea mays L.) and millet (Panicum miliaceum L.). Recent research has focused on arabinoxylan extraction from low-value cereal by-products in the food industry, such as bran cereal and ‘nejayote’ (maize nixtamalization wastewater). Ferulated arabinoxylans form highly viscous solutions, and they can form gels in the presence of certain oxidizing agents. Gelling capability of cereal arabinoxylans is determined by inherent physicochemical properties. Arabinoxylan gels are receiving increasing attention due to characteristics such as neutral odor and taste, stability to pH and electrolyte concentration changes, and macro porous structure. They can potentially be used as controlled-release matrices in food and non-food applications like biomedicine and cosmetics. Thus, cereal grains and by-products become more valuable. This review includes some of the most recent findings on the physicochemical properties and gelling capability of ferulated arabinoxylans from cereals.