Characterization of (Glucurono)arabinoxylans from Oats Using Enzymatic Fingerprinting

Cell wall material from whole oat grains was sequentially extracted to study the structural characteristics of individual arabinoxylan (AX) populations. Araf was singly substituted at both O-3 (mainly) and O-2 positions of Xylp, and no disubstitution of Xylp with Araf residues was found in oat AXs. Both highly substituted and sparsely substituted segments were found in AXs in Ba(OH)₂ extracts, whereas AXs in 1 and 6 M NaOH extracts were rarely branched and easily aggregated. Both O-2-linked GlcA and 4-O-MeGlcA residues were present in oat AXs. A series of AX oligomers with galactose as a substituent was detected for the first time in oats. The present study suggested that the distribution of Araf was contiguous in oat AXs, different from the homogeneous distribution of Araf in wheat and barley AXs, which might result in different fermentation patterns in humans and animals.