Xylan - the raw material Xylophane consists of the natural carbohydrate xylan plus food contact approved additives in order to have customised properties for different areas of application. Xylan is one of the most abundant naturally occurring carbohydrates, but despite of this fact, it has until now not been used in industrial applications. Xylan can be isolated from agricultural by-products, such as cereal hulls and husks. The chemical structure varies depending on origin, but all xylans contain a backbone of ß-(1-4)-linked xylose units.