Water-soluble pentosans form very viscous solutions because of their much higher
intrinsic viscosity compared to soluble proteins. A unique property of water-soluble pentosans
is their ability to form gels in the presence of oxidizing agents. This process of oxidative
gelation was monitored by Kundig et al. (1961b), who noted the disappearance of a peak at
320 nm in the UV spectrum of pentosans following the addition of oxidizing agents.