Fig. 3
From: The importance of fungi and mycology for addressing major global challenges
The hemicellulose plant cell wall polymer, arabinoxylan, is degraded by many different and highly specialized fungal enzymes in nature: 1. endoxylanases; 2. α-L-arabinofuranosidases; 3. glucuronidases; 4. ferulic acid esterases; and 5. acetyl xylan esterases. Ongoing research aims to use such specific fungal enzymes to modify the arabinoxylan, a sub stream from lignocellulose biorefinery, into C5 sugar oligosaccharides with a prebiotic effect, stimulating the healthy gut fungal and microbial populations of humans and other animals. Modified from Chavez et al. (2006).