What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to extract and characterize arabinoxylans from distillers dried grains and explore their potential as functional ingredients.

February 11, 2026Open Access

Arabinoxylans from the Distillers Grains and Solubles Co-Products of Ethanol Production: Extraction, Characterisation and Hydrolysis to Oligosaccharides

Key Points

The study aims to extract and characterize arabinoxylans from distillers dried grains and explore their potential as functional ingredients.
Extraction of AX from wet grain and solubles using alkaline hydrogen peroxide and ultrafiltration.
Production of ethanol and fermentation at a pilot-scale bioethanol plant.
Characterization of AX fractions for functionality and suitability for oligosaccharide production.
10 kg of wheat resulted in 3.2 L of ethanol at 90% purity.
85 g of WUAX with 51.6% purity and 110 kDa molecular weight.
92 g of WEAX with 74.2% purity and 70 kDa molecular weight.
Enzymatic conversion of WEAX to oligosaccharides was 53%; WUAX showed no enzyme susceptibility.

Abstract

Arabinoxylans (AX) and their oligosaccharides (AXOS) have potential as functional ingredients. The emergence of biorefineries, leading to more Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) entering the animal feed market, encourages commercial production of AX products. Extracting AX from the two components of DDGS offers the opportunity to increase the biorefinery’s product portfolio and reduce costs. This paper explores AX extraction from solubles and wet grain, using a Gunt pilot-scale bioethanol plant to produce the two streams. After fermentation and distillation, solids were separated from the liquid to give Wet Distillers Grain (WDG), from which alkaline hydrogen peroxide extraction of water-unextractable AX (WUAX) was performed. The water-extractable AX (WEAX) was recovered from the solubles by ultrafiltration and ethanol precipitation. Both extracts were tested for suitability for AXOS production and characterised for their functionality. 10 kg of wheat yielded 3.2 litres of ethanol at 90% purity, 85 g of WUAX (51.6% purity, 110 kDa) and 92 g of WEAX (74.2% purity, 70 kDa). Enzymatic conversion of WEAX into oligosaccharides was 53%, whereas WUAX was unsusceptible to enzyme hydrolysis. Both AX fractions showed interactions with starch that could increase the shelf life of bakery products. AX-based products could be produced from a range of agricultural and biorefinery waste or low value streams, with the global market potentially > £1 billion per annum.

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