Levan polysaccharide
Encyclopedia
Levan, a homopolysaccharide
which is composed of D-fructofuranosyl residues joined by 2,6 with multiple branches by 2,1 linkages has great potential as a functional biopolymer
in foods, feeds, cosmetics, and the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Levan can be used as food or a feed additive with prebiotic and hypocholesterolemic effects. Levan is also shown to exert excellent cell-proliferating, skin moisturizing, and skin irritation-alleviating effects as a blending component in cosmetics. Levan derivatives such as sulfated, phosphated, or acetylated levans are asserted to be anti-AIDS
agents. In addition, levan is used as a coating material in a drug delivery formulation. Levan also has a number of industrial applications such as a surfactant
for household use due to its excellent surface-active properties, a glycol/levan aqueous two-phase system for the partitioning of proteins, etc. However, there are some limitations for the industrial applications of levan due to its weak chemical stability in solution and the complex process required to purify levan. Once the limitations are solved, the market for levan will gradually increase in the various fields.
Levan is a biopolymer that is naturally produced by microorganism
s. In recent years, microorganisms have been genetic manipulated for the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery and for use in the food and biotechnology industries.
Levans are a group of fructan
s; polymers of fructose forming a non-structural carbohydrate, which in the case of levans can themselves link together to form super-molecules comprising even hundreds of thousands.
The shortest levan is 6-kestose, essentially a chain of three fructose molecules with a few extra atoms in one segment. Levans are produced in almost all bacteria
l versions of fructan production, as well as being possible to produce by fracturing soybean
mucilage
.
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...
which is composed of D-fructofuranosyl residues joined by 2,6 with multiple branches by 2,1 linkages has great potential as a functional biopolymer
Biopolymer
Biopolymers are polymers produced by living organisms. Since they are polymers, Biopolymers contain monomeric units that are covalently bonded to form larger structures. There are three main classes of biopolymers based on the differing monomeric units used and the structure of the biopolymer formed...
in foods, feeds, cosmetics, and the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Levan can be used as food or a feed additive with prebiotic and hypocholesterolemic effects. Levan is also shown to exert excellent cell-proliferating, skin moisturizing, and skin irritation-alleviating effects as a blending component in cosmetics. Levan derivatives such as sulfated, phosphated, or acetylated levans are asserted to be anti-AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
agents. In addition, levan is used as a coating material in a drug delivery formulation. Levan also has a number of industrial applications such as a surfactant
Surfactant
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, the interfacial tension between two liquids, or that between a liquid and a solid...
for household use due to its excellent surface-active properties, a glycol/levan aqueous two-phase system for the partitioning of proteins, etc. However, there are some limitations for the industrial applications of levan due to its weak chemical stability in solution and the complex process required to purify levan. Once the limitations are solved, the market for levan will gradually increase in the various fields.
Levan is a biopolymer that is naturally produced by microorganism
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
s. In recent years, microorganisms have been genetic manipulated for the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery and for use in the food and biotechnology industries.
Levans are a group of fructan
Fructan
A fructan is a polymer of fructose molecules. Fructans with a short chain length are known as fructooligosaccharides, whereas longer chain fructans are termed inulins...
s; polymers of fructose forming a non-structural carbohydrate, which in the case of levans can themselves link together to form super-molecules comprising even hundreds of thousands.
The shortest levan is 6-kestose, essentially a chain of three fructose molecules with a few extra atoms in one segment. Levans are produced in almost all bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
l versions of fructan production, as well as being possible to produce by fracturing soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
mucilage
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
.