In hemicelluloses, there is breakdown of 3 enzymes involved.
- Endoenzymes-cleavage randomly the bonds between building blocks in a polymer.
- Exoenzymes-cleavage either a single dimer or monomer from the end of polysaccharide chain.
- Glycosidase-Hydrolyses the disaccharides into pentoses and hexoses sugar. These sugars are absorbed by microbes within their cells. The sugars are converted into CO2, water, alcohols & acids in the presence of various enzymes.
Hemicellulose—endoenzyme—–> small fragments of hemicelluloses
Small fragments of hemicelluloses—exoenzyme —> dimer
Dimer gluscosidase monosaccharide units —> respiratory enzyme of microbes
enzyme