Extraction and investigation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae beta-glucan

Subject Areas : Mycology

maryam Sadat Mirbagheri Firoozabad ¹ , Mahdi Bagheri dehaskari ² , Mohammad Bayati ³

1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.
2 - B.A.Sc, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.
3 - B.A.Sc, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran.

Received: 2024-05-22 Accepted : 2024-07-15 Published : 2024-09-03

Keywords: Beta-glucan, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, FTIR, extraction.,

Abstract :

Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide formed by the linkage of glucose molecules through β-(1→6) and β-(1→3) glycosidic bonds. This compound is found in various sources, including fungi, algae, yeast, and plants such as barley, however, the beta-glucan present in the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibits greater biological activity compared to that from other sources. Beta-glucan has numerous applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, contributing to immune system enhancement, anti-tumour effects, and cholesterol reduction. The aim of this study is to extract and purify this compound for use in industries. For extraction of beta-glucan, an alkaline-acidic method was employed, which involves extracting using alkaline solutions followed by neutralization with acid. This process was conducted to maximize the yield and purity of beta-glucan. After extraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized to determine and confirm the chemical structure of beta-glucan. This technique allows for the identification of chemical bonds and functional groups present in the beta-glucan composition. The results of these tests indicated that the use of a weak acid-strong base extraction method, combined with hot water extraction, effectively removes a significant amount of proteins and fatty acids from autolyzed yeast, leading to an increase in the carbohydrate content, particularly beta-glucan, in the final product. The development of an appropriate method for the extraction of beta-glucan for industrial application, along with the evaluation of the produced beta-glucan using FTIR, represents a significant achievement of this project.

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