Structural characterization of barley β-glucan extracted using a novel fractionation technique

A barley beta-glucan concentrate prepared according to a novel technology was further purified and subjected to detailed structural characterization by NMR spectroscopy. beta-Glucan was hydrolysed with beta-glucan-4-glucanohydrolase (lichenase). Fractions of hydrolysate were collected using an HPLC-fraction collector. Intact beta-glucan and the major fractions collected were subjected to MALDI-TOF-MS and NMR analyses. The two major oligosaccharides produced by lichenase hydrolysis of purified barley p-glucan were identified as beta-D-Glc p-(1 --> 4)- beta-D-Glc p-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-Glc p and beta-D-Glc p-(1 --> 4)-beta-D-Glc p(1 --> 4)-beta-D-Glc p-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-Glc p based on C-13 and H-1 NMR data. Spectrums were similar to those documented for barley beta-glucan in the literature. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.