The release of reducing sugars from sulphite pulp treated with an Aureobasidium pullulans xylanase preparation was studied. Hydrolysis conditions such as pH, buffer, temperature and time of enzyme treatment were optimized in terms of their effect on sulphite pulp for production of dissolving pulp with an improved quality. Enzyme hydrolysis of pulp was found to be most effective at a temperature of 55 degrees C and at pH 4.7 using sodium acetate buffer.