Xylan and mannan are derived from long-chain complex carbohydrates which, in turn, are part of hemicelluloses. These components are commonly flexible and slightly soluble, which is why their function in the cell wall of stiff and strong wood is a bit of a mystery, although their components have great potential with food packaging, wound dressings and more. Fortunately, the mystery ends there because a study conducted by Nature Communications has researched the structural functions of hemicelluloses extracted from wood. How? By using bacterial cellulose to develop a simplified model of a wood cell wall. 

Francisco Vilaplana, the lead author of the study, analyzed the results of the biological functions of xylan and mannan in a "Behind the Paper" blog, revealing that xylan makes the cell wall more elastic, while mannan makes it more resistant to compression. For the scientist, the ultimate goal of the study is to inform the design and development of new biological materials from industrial wood waste. For Vilaplana this means: "We now know that mixing cellulose with xylan makes it more extensible, which is really useful for making packaging materials, while adding mannan improves compression properties, which could be useful in lightweight building materials".

This discovery brings up many questions: is it possible that tomorrow it will also be used to improve wood construction solutions? Will we be moving even further towards sustainable architecture? Although the answers are uncertain, we hope that this discovery will be a step towards an industrial economy based on the concept of sustainability.