The polysaccharide levan was synthesized in a solidified agar medium containing sucrose as a source of fructose. The biosynthesis was achieved by the enzyme levansucrase (2,6-fructan-d-glucose 6-fructosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.10), a small quantity of which was placed in circular wells cut in the agar gel. The enzyme slowly diffused through the agar-sucrose medium and the synthesis of levan was ...

Introduction The biosynthetic reactions of starch synthesis There is strong evidence to indicate that the ADPglucose (ADPGlc) pathway, consisting of the enzymatic reactions catalysed respectively by ADPGlc synthetase (or ADPGlc pyrophosphorylase, EC 2.7.7.27; reaction l), starch synthase (EC 2.4.1.21; reaction 2) and branching enzyme (EC 2.4.1.18; reaction 3), is the predominant if not the sole...

Background Inulin-type fructans have already been studied with respect to their stimulation of bifidobacteria and butyrateproducing colon bacteria, such as Anaerostipes caccae and Roseburia spp. However, much less is known about their effects on other butyrate-producing colon bacteria, such as Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum, Eubacterium spp. and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and the interactions o...