STUDIES ON REACTIONS RELATING TO CARBOHYDRATES AND POLYSACCHARIDES.: XXXVII. THE FORMATION OF DEXTRAN BY LEUCONOSTOC MESENTERIOIDES

Abstract

Four strains of Leuconostoc mesenterioides have been studied, and a medium suitable for the production of relatively large amounts of polysaccharide from sucrose has been carefully evolved. All of these organisms brought about polysaccharide formation in nutrient solutions containing sucrose, while two of them showed a slight activity in this respect toward glucose. Melezitose, raffinose, fructose, galactose, lactose, maltose, xylose and glycerol, when employed in the place of sucrose, did not yield any polysaccharide. It is not yet certain if a definite relation exists between the structure of the polysaccharide formed and the sugar utilized, as was found to be the case with levan (8, 9, 10).