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Arabinoxylan gels are commonly characterized to determine the feasibility of utilizing them in numerous applications such as drug delivery systems. The general characteristics of numerous types of arabinoxylan gels as well as their susceptibility to degradation are discussed in this manuscript. There are two main types of arabinoxylan: water-extractable and alkali-extractable. The physicochemical characteristics of the arabinoxylan determine its extractability and gelling characteristics. Gels can be created from numerous types of arabinoxylan including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.). These gels can also be developed with the addition of protein and/or β-glucan, which results in modified mechanical properties of the gels. To create a sound gel, arabinoxylan must be cross-linked, which is often done through ferulic acid. When this takes place, the gel developed is thermo-irreversible, unsusceptible to pH and electrolyte interactions, and does not undergo syneresis during storage. Despite these strengths, arabinoxylan gels can be broken down by the enzymes produced by Bifidobacterium, which is present in the human large intestine. After further development and research on these gels, they could be utilized for many purposes.

Biodegradable materials made from cereal arabinoxylan could provide an alternative source of packaging to replace current nonbiodegradable plastics. The main purpose of this research was to determine how arabinoxylan (AX) films made from wheat bran (WB) AX, maize bran (MB) AX, and dried distillers grain (DDG) AX made with either glycerol or sorbitol at varying levels (10, 25 or 50%) interacts with soil and water. The biodegradability of all films ranged from 49.4% biodegradable (DDG AX with 10% sorbitol) to 67.7% biodegradable (MB AX with 50% glycerol). In addition, the MB AX films with 25% sorbitol had the lowest moisture content at 9.7%, the MB AX films with 10% glycerol had the highest water solubility at 95.6%, and the MB AX films with 50% glycerol had the highest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) at 90.8 g h−1 m−2. Despite these extreme trends in the MB AX films, the WB AX films were the least hydrophilic on average while the DDG AX films were the most hydrophilic on average. The 18 materials developed in this research demonstrate varying affinities for water and biodegradation. These materials can be used for many different packaging materials, based on their unique characteristics.