Extraction and modification technology of arabinoxylans from cereal by-products: A critical review

•Arabinoxylans (AXs) potentially lead to corresponding health benefit in food.•AXs are one of the most important hemicelluloses in by-products of cereals.•We reviewed the recovery processes for arabinoxylans from by-products of cereals.•We evaluated the effects of different extraction technologies on yield of AXs.•We evaluated the effects of modification methods on AX molecular characteristics.

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are one of the most important groups of hemicelluloses in the endosperm and outer layers of cereal grains. However, the macromolecular characteristics of extracted AXs and the extraction yields achieved exhibit huge differences. These differences are apparently dependent on the different extraction and modification methods used. This paper aims to review the extraction and modification methods used in the separation of AXs from cereal by-products as reported in previous studies. The effects of different extraction and modification methods on AX extraction yields, molecular characteristics and properties were evaluated. The influence of various extraction methods including chemical solvent extraction, enzymatic extraction and modification, and mechanically-assisted extraction on molecular structure (the ratio of arabinose to xylose and molecular weight distribution) of AXs are compared and discussed in this paper.