Enzymatic isolation of β-glucan from brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Integration of life sciences & engineering
Integration of Life Sciences & Engineering - Poster (T5-P)
Keywords: β-glucan, brewer’s yeast, enzymatic isolation
β-1,3-Glucan is a fiber-type biopolymer derived from the cell wall of baker’s and brewer’s yeast, oat and barley fiber, and many medicinal mushrooms. In their natural states, yeast and mushrooms contain a mixture of β-1,3-glucan and β-1,6-glucan. Oats and barley contain a mixture of β-1,3-glucan and β-1,4-glucan. In the last decades, β-(1,3)(1,4)-glucan has been described to show many benefits for the health of humans and animals such as cholesterol-lowering, immune-stimulating, and anti-inflammatory. Recently similar properties has been shown for β-(1,3)(1,6)-glucan from baker’s and brewer’s yeast. Conventional processes for the isolation of yeast β-1,3-glucan usually involve hot alkali extraction, acids extraction or a combination of both, which may lead to a strong degradation of the glucose chain and possible loss of its beneficial effects. Therefore, there has been a need for a mild isolation process, in which the native structure of β-1,3-glucan is maintained, while the undesirable components like protein, lipids and other polysaccharides are removed.
An enzymatic process to isolate β-1,3-glucan from brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was examined, which would both be environmentally friendly and preserve the native structure of the product. A statistical experimental plan was designed in order to investigate the effects of temperature, pH, and enzyme dosage on the isolation process. Based on the results of the statistically designed experiments, optimal conditions for the purification of β-1,3-glucan were identified.
Presented Wednesday 19, 13:30 to 15:00, in session Integration of Life Sciences & Engineering - Poster (T5-P).
