engleski

Biological Activities of Beta-Glucans Isolated from Spent Brewer's Yeast

β-D-Glucans (hereafter referred to as “β-glucans”) are glucose polymers which belong to a group of physiologically active compounds called “biological response modifiers” (BRMs). Their immunostimulatory activity makes them suitable for application in human and veterinary medicine, in pharmaceutical and chemical industries, as well as in production of food, feed and cosmetics. In the Western world, dietary supplements containing β-glucans up to now have been mostly produced from baker´s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among various compounds that can be isolated from yeast, β-glucans can be used in wound healing and treatment of various diseases, such as cancer, infectious diseases, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. Their antioxidative properties and synergistic effect with various drugs and treatments are also reported. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in isolation and use of β-glucan from brewer´s yeast, which is a byproduct of beer production. All samples of insoluble β-glucans, isolated in our experiments from brewer’s yeast using three different procedures and dried using three different methods, showed biological activity. β-Glucan preparations, obtained in modified drying conditions, showed noticeably higher ability of producing TNF-α. Use of spent brewer's yeast as a raw material for β-glucan production is technologically and economically justified.

beta-glucan, spent brewer's yeast, immunomodulation

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