Biological Activity of High-Purity β-1,3-1,6-Glucan Derived from the Black Yeast Aureobasidium pullulans: A Literature Review

Abstract

The black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans produces abundant soluble β-1,3-1,6-glucan—a functional food ingredient with known health benefits. For use as a food material, soluble β-1,3-1,6-glucan is produced via fermentation using sucrose as the carbon source. Various functionalities of β-1,3-1,6-glucan have been reported, including its immunomodulatory effect, particularly in the intestine. It also exhibits antitumor and antimetastatic effects, alleviates influenza and food allergies, and relieves stress. Moreover, it reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases by protecting the intestinal mucosa, reducing fat, lowering postprandial blood glucose, promoting bone health, and healing gastric ulcers. Furthermore, it induces heat shock protein 70. Clinical studies have reported the antiallergic and triglyceride-reducing effects of β-1,3-1,6-glucan, which are indicators of improvement in lifestyle-related diseases. The primary and higher-order structures of β-1,3-1,6-glucan have been elucidated. Specifically, it comprises a single highly-branched glucose residue with the β-1,6 bond (70% or more) on a backbone of glucose with 1,3-β bonds. β-Glucan shows a triple helical structure, and studies on its use as a drug delivery system have been actively conducted. β-Glucan in combination with anti-inflammatory substances or fullerenes can be used to target macrophages. Based on its health functionality, β-1,3-1,6-glucan is an interesting material as both food and medicine.

Polysaccharides as Potential Anti-tumor Biomacromolecules —A Review

“…The polysaccharides, with the main chain consisting of β-(1 → 3)-glucans and additional β-(1 → 6) branches, could enhance their immunostimulatory and exhibit a prominent anti-tumor activity by promoting the interaction with specific receptors ( 82 ). The A. pullulans -derived β-glucan could exhibit an anti-tumor activity by enhancing the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production and the NK cell activity by triggering the intestinal immunity ( 83 ). In addition, the Grifola frondosa polysaccharide, consisting of β-(1 → 3)-linked glucan branched with β-(1 → 6) glucosides, could be used as an immune-adjuvant therapy for cancers ( 84 ).…”

β-Glucan as a Techno-Functional Ingredient in Dairy and Milk-Based Products—A Review

“…Bacterial β-glucan have a straight and unbranched β-(1→3)-D-glucan structure, while β-glucan from seaweed can contain a straight chain of β-(1→3) residues or a straight chain of β-(1→6)-linked glucosyl side branches [ 52 , 53 ].…”

“…The content of β-glucan in yeast, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is higher than in cereal crops and is 55–65% [ 31 , 33 ]. Their chemical structure is represented by a complex of linear β-(1→3) chains with residual straight chains connected to them by long branches connected through β-(1→6) bonds [ 52 ].…”

β-Glucans

“…In May 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration acknowledged that β-glucans reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Health claims relating to β-glucans specifically for maintenance of blood cholesterol were approved in Europe in 2009 [114].…”