Arabinoxylan structural characteristics, interaction with gut microbiota and potential health functions

Arabinoxylans are the main type of noncellulose polysaccharide in cereals and grasses. They are also important functional ingredients in baked products. Arabinoxylans derived from different sources or extracted in different ways may exhibit different structures which give rise to various physiological functions and exert diverse impacts on gut microbiota. This review summarizes the most current researches on arabinoxylans’ beneficial effects to human health, their prebiotic effects, the influences of structural features on short-chain fatty acids production as well as on physiological functions. We aim to identify arabinoxylans’ primary structural features that related to each functional property and also provide the explaination to the inconsistent antioxidant capacity of arabinoxylans with similar structural features.