Cellulose and hemicellulose content analysis

Cellulose (CAS 9004-34-6) and hemicellulose ( , and agronomic analysis of many products. Their quantification is indispensable for characterizing dietary fiber content, optimizing the formulation of nutritional products, and evaluating the digestibility of forages in animal feed.

Why measure cellulose and hemicellulose?

The dosage of these plant fibers helps to address several industrial and scientific challenges:

• Evaluate the insoluble and soluble fiber content in human or animal foods
• Characterize the quality of plant-based raw materials (seeds, cereals, vegetables, extracts)
• Optimizing the formulation of fiber-rich supplements
• Monitor the digestibility of animal rations (ruminants, horses)
• Meet nutritional labeling requirements (source or fiber content)
• Analyzing the lignocellulosic composition in biomaterials or agronomy

This data is essential for the nutraceutical, animal nutrition, agri-food, and plant processing sectors.

Available analytical methods

YesWeLab offers several techniques for the quantification of plant fibers according to analytical needs and matrices:

• Van Soest method (NDF, ADF, ADL): reference in animal nutrition for separating fibrous fractions (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) by successive treatments with acid and neutral detergent.
• Gravimetry: a method based on the separation and weighing of fibrous residues after hydrolysis or enzymatic treatment.
• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC): allows the identification and quantification of certain monomers resulting from the degradation of fibers, particularly in complex plant extracts.

These approaches are chosen based on the precision of measurement, regulatory requirements, and the nature of the samples.

Frequently analyzed matrices

Cellulose and hemicellulose content can be determined from a wide range of plant or food matrices:

• Agricultural raw materials (seeds, cereals, fodder, straw)
• Processed products (fiber-enriched biscuits, plant extracts, capsules)
• Functional ingredients (flours, fruit and vegetable powders, plant by-products)
• Animal feed and complete rations (cattle, sheep, horses)
• Lignocellulosic biomass from a valorization perspective (bioenergy, bioeconomy)

Industrial and scientific applications

This analysis is used in:

• Nutritional characterization of products for labeling
• Optimizing fiber-rich formulations in supplements
• Quality control of forage in livestock farming (digestibility, feed efficiency)
• The study of the functional effects of fibers in human food formulations
• Projects to valorize plant by-products rich in lignocellulose

Why choose YesWeLab?

YesWeLab gives you access to advanced expertise for all your dietary and plant fiber analyses. Thanks to our network of accredited partner laboratories (ISO 17025, COFRAC, etc.), we support you in selecting the most suitable methods, based on your objectives, matrices, and regulatory constraints.

Our services include:

• Personalized handling of your request
• A rigorous selection of partner laboratories
• Scientific support at each stage of the project
• A digital platform to simplify your requests and track your samples

Recommended internal links

To complement this analysis, we also recommend that you consult:

• Total fiber content : for a comprehensive measurement including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin
• Analysis of animal feed and forage : for complete assessments in animal nutrition
• Lignin assay : often coupled with cellulose for a complete lignocellulosic profile

Ready to analyze your samples?

Add this analysis to your online quote or contact our scientific team to define together the analytical strategy best suited to your needs.