Beta-Glucan (ß-Glucan) Engineering Service for Enhanced Purity and Yield

Beta-Glucan (ß-Glucan) is a high-value polysaccharide recognized for its immunomodulatory, cholesterol-lowering, and prebiotic properties, driving demand in the health supplements and food industries. Traditional production methods, such as fungal extraction, result in low efficiency of fungal extraction and often require harsh chemicals. While microbial fermentation is a cleaner alternative, it frequently yields a product with insufficient purity , as the Beta-Glucan remains bound to other cell wall components.

CD Biosynsis offers a synthetic biology service focused on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Brewer's yeast) chassis. Our core strategy involves the modification of glucan synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enhance its activity and potentially control the structural characteristics (e.g., degree of branching) of the resulting ß-Glucan. This is complemented by the optimization of post-fermentation purification processes to achieve high purity levels suitable for sensitive applications. This integrated approach aims to deliver a high-yield, structurally tailored, and contaminant-minimized ß-Glucan product.

Pain Points

Scaling up high-purity Beta-Glucan production is challenging due to:

• Low Extraction Efficiency: Isolating ß-Glucan from fungal or yeast cell walls often requires intensive mechanical or chemical extraction , which is energy-intensive and offers low final yield.
• Insufficient Purity: The final product from microbial fermentation is often contaminated with lipids, proteins, and other cell wall polysaccharides , necessitating complex and costly downstream purification.
• Inconsistent Structural Properties: The bioactivity of ß-Glucan (e.g., immunomodulation) is highly dependent on its molecular weight and branching structure (e.g., beta-(1,3)/(1,6) linkages), which are often poorly controlled.
• Host Cell Wall Bottlenecks: Native metabolic processes often prioritize the formation of the cell wall, leading to inefficient resource allocation for producing free or easily extractable ß-Glucan .

A successful solution must combine enhanced biosynthesis with simplified, high-efficiency recovery.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis applies strain engineering and process optimization to address Beta-Glucan production issues:

Modification of Glucan Synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

           

We employ gene editing and directed evolution of glucan synthase to potentially tune the ratio of beta-(1,3) to beta-(1,6) linkages and control the polymer length, tailoring bioactivity.

Optimization of Post-Fermentation Purification Processes

We develop and optimize new extraction and purification protocols focused on minimizing co-purification of cell wall debris and proteins , targeting ultra-high purity.

Enhanced Export and Release Engineering

We modify cell wall synthesis genes to facilitate the easier release of ß-Glucan into the medium or simplify its liberation during mild downstream processing.

Precursor Metabolism Tuning

We engineer the host's central carbon metabolism to maximize the supply of $\text{UDP-Glucose}$ , the essential precursor for glucan synthase activity.

This systematic approach is focused on overcoming structural heterogeneity and downstream purification complexity for high-grade ß-Glucan.

Advantages

Our Beta-Glucan engineering service is dedicated to pursuing the following production goals:

Targeted Structural Properties

Enzyme modification aims to produce $\text{HA}$ with a controlled degree of branching and polymer length , matching specific bioactivity requirements.

Ultra-High Purity Potential

Optimized purification protocols are focused on achieving purity levels suitable for sensitive pharmaceutical or nutraceutical applications .

Enhanced Extraction Efficiency

Host engineering to facilitate release aims to reduce the harshness and duration of extraction steps , improving overall yield.

Safer, Consistent Supply

Microbial fermentation offers a highly reproducible, non-animal-derived source , reducing variability and safety concerns.

Cost Reduction Potential

High yield and efficient purification are focused on lowering the overall cost of the final ß-Glucan product. [Image of Cost Reduction Icon]

We provide a biosynthetic platform aimed at maximizing the quality and cost-effectiveness of Beta-Glucan production.

Process

Our Beta-Glucan strain engineering service follows a standardized, multi-stage research workflow:

• Glucan Synthase Engineering: Apply directed evolution or protein engineering to modify key domains of glucan synthase to control polymerization kinetics and branching structure.
• Cell Wall Release Engineering: Utilize gene editing to alter or downregulate cell wall components (e.g., chitin, mannan) to make the ß-Glucan more accessible for recovery.
• Precursor Metabolism Tuning: Engineer the upstream pathways to overexpress $\text{UDP-Glucose}$ synthesis enzymes , ensuring high precursor availability.
• Fermentation Process Development: Optimize fed-batch fermentation parameters (e.g., carbon source, nitrogen, $\text{pH}$) for maximum biomass and ß-Glucan titer .
• Purification Optimization: Develop and validate a streamlined post-fermentation purification protocol (e.g., selective precipitation, membrane filtration) to achieve target purity.
• Result Report Output: Compile a comprehensive Experimental Report detailing genetic modifications, structural analysis (e.g., $\text{NMR}$ for branching), and final titer/purity/cost metrics , supporting commercial development.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding structural characteristics and purity.

Explore the potential for tailored, high-purity Beta-Glucan production. CD Biosynsis provides customized strain and process engineering solutions:

• Detailed Structural and Purity Analysis Report , demonstrating the degree of branching, molecular weight, and contamination levels.
• Consultation on downstream process design optimized for minimal cost and maximal purity.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on titer, extraction efficiency, and final purity assay , essential for quality control.