Writing in Food Chemistry, the ingredient specialists detail the structural differences observed in five commercial samples of yeast β-glucan that is likely to determine biological activity.
“We’ve long known that all beta glucans are not created equal when it comes to scientifically proven health benefits,” explains Donald Cox, study author and R&D Director at Kerry.
“What these new findings demonstrate is that each proprietary source of yeast beta glucan is structurally different.”
The study took five commercial samples of yeast β-glucan, which were assayed for their β-glucan, carbohydrate, and glycogen content and compared it to the (1,3/1,6) β-d-glucan isolated from the yeast cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae – the main component of Kerry’s immune supporting ingredient Wellmune.
Study findings
Results revealed β-glucan content of these samples ranged from 74% to 86% while the glycogen content varied from 0 to 20%.
The linkage pattern of each sample was also measured, which showed samples varied from 1.9% to 9.2% branching. Side length distributions of the samples were shown to be similar.
“The various sources of yeast β-glucan tested in this study suggest that the source (or strain) of yeast and the method used to isolate and purify the yeast β-glucan are important factors affecting the final structure of the yeast β-glucan,” the study concludes.
“Structural data presented here suggest that the production process specific to each source might result in slight alteration of the chemical structure of the β-glucan.