xylan

polysaccharide

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

Xylan is a yellow, gummy polysaccharide found abundantly in plant cell walls and woody tissue. It is composed primarily of xylose units, linked together in a structure similar to cellulose. While it plays a structural role in plants, xylans are generally of limited commercial importance. Xylan yields xylose upon hydrolysis.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

carbohydrate
Homopolysaccharides
Xylans are almost as ubiquitous as cellulose in plant cell walls and contain predominantly β-d-xylose units linked as in cellulose. Some xylans contain other sugars, such as l-arabinose, but they form branches and are not part of the main chain. Xylans are of little commercial…
Read More
Xylans are almost as ubiquitous as cellulose in plant cell walls and contain predominantly β-d-xylose units linked as in cellulose. Some xylans contain other sugars, such as l-arabinose, but they form branches and are not part of the main chain. Xylans are of little commercial…
Read More