About Yeast β-glucans

Bioactives such as β-glucans have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties . Sources of β-glucans are diverse but can be initially divided into cereal sources, including oat and barley, and non-cereal sources, such as mushrooms, yeast, algae, and bacteria . Classification of β-glucans is essential, as origin dictates structure, which greatly influences biological activity. Firstly, all β-glucans are homo-polysaccharides composed of glucose units . Secondly, they all possess a 1,3 linked backbone fundamental to their activity.

Structural contrasts occur in the branching off the 1,3 backbone; the molecule can be branched at various locations and can also be non-branched. Cereal-derived β-glucans have a very different branching structure than non-cereal-derived. There are also inter-source variations. Branching at the 1,4 position is characteristic of cereal derived β-glucans, whereas branching at the 1,6 position is characteristic of non-cereal derived β-glucans . β-glucans, usually from non-cereal sources, can also contain no branching, such as Curdlan, isolated from Agrobacterium.