A glucan from active dry bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae): A chemical and enzymatic investigation of the structure

• Main Authors: DRAGANA ZLATKOVIC, DRAGICA JAKOVLJEVIC, DJORDJE ZEKOVIC, MIROSLAV M. VRVIC
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Serbian Chemical Society 2003-11-01
• Series: Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society
• Subjects: active dry bakers yeast; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; polysaccharides; glucan; structure; chemical and enzymatic methods
• Online Access: http://www.shd.org.yu/HtDocs/SHD/Vol68/No11/V68-No11-03.pdf

The structure of a polysaccharide consisting of D-glucose isolated from the cell-wall of active dry bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was investigated by using methylation analysis, periodate oxidation, mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and enzymic hydrolysis, as a new approach in determination of structures. The main structural feature of the polysaccharide deduced on the basis of the obtained results is a linear chain of (1->3)-linked b-D-glucopyranoses, a part of which is substituted through the positions O-6. The side units or groups are either a single D-glucopyranose or (1->3)-b-oligoglucosides, linked to the main chaing through (1->6)-glucosidic linkages. The low optical rotation as well as the 13C-NMR and FTIR spectra suggest that the glycosidic linkages are in the b-D-configuration.