Recent novel applications of levansucrases

• Published in: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Vol. 99; no. 17; pp. 6959 - 6969
• Main Authors: Li, Wenjing, Yu, Shuhuai, Zhang, Tao, Jiang, Bo, Mu, Wanmeng
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2015; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: alcohols; Bacteria - enzymology; Biocatalysts; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - methods; Biotechnology industry; Disaccharides; Enzyme kinetics; Enzymes; Fermentation; Food; Food Industry - methods; fructooligosaccharides; Fungi - enzymology; Hexosyltransferases - metabolism; hydrolysis; Laboratories; levan; levansucrase; Life Sciences; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mini-Review; monosaccharides; oligosaccharides; Pharmaceutical industry; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Polymerization; Studies; substrate specificity; Sucrose; Technology, Pharmaceutical - methods; China; Fructoside; Fructooligosaccharide; Lactosucrose; Transfructosylation; Levan; Levansucrase
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6797-5

Levansucrase catalyzes three distinct reactions depending on the fructosyl acceptor molecule, including polymerization, transfructosylation, and hydrolysis. As a key biocatalyst in the synthesis of levan and levan-type fructooligosaccharides, levansucrase has been widely and intensively studied. Due to the promising physiological effects of levan and levan-type fructooligosaccharides, they exhibit great potential in food and pharmaceutical industries. Another important point that attracts much attention is the wide substrate specificity of levansucrase toward monosaccharides, disaccharides, and aromatic and alkyl alcohols, producing diverse sucrose analogues, hetero-oligosaccharides (especially lactosucrose), and interesting fructosides. The present article summarizes and discusses the recent applications of microbial levansucrase in detail.