Galactoglucomannan Oligosaccharides (GGMO) from a Molasses Byproduct of Pine (Pinus taeda) Fiberboard Production

“Temulose” is the trade name for a water-soluble molasses produced on a large scale (300−400 tonnes per year) as a byproduct of the fiberboard industry. The feedstock for Temulose is predominantly a single species of pine (Pinus taeda) grown and harvested in stands in southeastern Texas. Because of the method of production, the molasses was predicted to consist of water-soluble hemicelluloses, mainly arabinoxylan-type and galactoglucomannan-type oligosaccharides, plus minor components of lignin, but no detailed structural study had been reported. The structure and composition of the molasses has now been deduced by a combination of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography, proton and 13C NMR techniques, and classic carbohydrate analysis. Limited acid hydrolysis released a series of galactoglucomannan oligosaccharides (GGMO) that were selectively recovered from the acid-labile arabinogalactan by precipitation with ethanol. The precipitate was named “Temulose brown sugar” because of its appearance, and is shown to consist of GGMO with a degree of polymerization (DP) from 4 to 13, with the major component being DP 5−8. The structure of these oligosaccharides is a β-1,4-linked backbone of Man and Glc residues, with occasional α-1,6 branching by single galactosyl units.