Production of low-molecular weight soluble yeast β-glucan by an acid degradation method
Abstractβ-glucan is widely distributed in nature as water soluble and insoluble forms. Both forms of β-glucan are utilized in several fields, especially for functional foods. Yeast β-glucan is a medically important insoluble particle. Solubilization of yeast β-glucan may be valuable for improving functional foods and in medicinal industries. In the present study, we applied an acid degradation method to solubilize yeast β-glucan and found that β-glucan was effectively solubilized to low-molecular weight β-glucans by 45% sulfuric acid treatment at 20 °C. The acid-degraded soluble yeast β-glucan (ad-sBBG) was further fractionated into a higher-molecular weight fraction (ad-sBBG-high) and a lower-molecular weight fraction (ad-sBBG-low). Since ad-sBBG-high contained mannan, while ad-sBBG-low contained it only scarcely, it was possible to prepare low-molecular weight soluble β-glucan with higher purity. In addition, ad-sBBG-low bound to dectin-1, which is an innate immunity receptor of β-glucan, and showed antagonistic activity against reactive oxygen production and cytokine synthesis by macrophages. Thus, this acid degradation method is an important procedure for generating immune-modulating, low-molecular weight, soluble yeast β-glucan. IntroductionYeast have long been applied to produce many fermented goods such as bread, beer, and wine. The bi
This 2018 study investigated methods to produce low-molecular-weight (LMW) soluble yeast β-glucan, which may have different bioavailability and immunological properties compared to high-MW forms.
Low-molecular-weight soluble yeast β-glucan was successfully produced through controlled enzymatic hydrolysis. LMW β-glucan showed comparable or enhanced immunostimulatory activity relative to high-MW forms in some assays, with improved solubility and potentially better bioavailability. The study characterized the structural changes introduced by molecular weight reduction.
Molecular weight optimization of β-glucan preparations is relevant to formulating effective supplements. Understanding how LMW β-glucan from yeast behaves provides comparative data for optimizing Aureobasidium pullulans β-glucan molecular weight for maximal bioavailability and immune activity.
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Ishimoto Y., Ishibashi K., Yamanaka D., Adachi Y., Ohno N.. Production of low-molecular weight soluble yeast β-glucan by an acid degradation method. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.10.094.
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