Xylooligosaccharides from lignocellulosic biomass: A comprehensive review.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), produced from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), are short-chain polymers with prebiotic activity which, in the last few decades, have gained commercial interest due to their potential application as ingredients for the nutraceutical industry. This article reviews relevant topics to consider when researching XOS productive processes, such as the selection of raw materials and strategies for XOS production, purification, characterisation, quantification and evaluation of the prebiotic effects. With regard to the production approach, this article focuses on LCB pre-treatments and the enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan, exploring the reported alternatives and enzymes.