Susceptibility of scleroglucan to the (1→3)-β-d-glucanase zymolyase

Exposure of the (1?3,6)-ß-d-glucan, scleroglucan, to 0.2m NaOH at room temperature rendered it susceptible to hydrolysis by the (1?3)-ß-d-glucanase zymolyase. Fractionation of the products revealed that 42% of the polysaccharide remained intact and that the remainder was converted into glucose, laminaribiose, and gentiobiose. The implications of these findings for selectively solubilising glucans in yeast cell walls prior to their enzymic characterisation are discussed. © 1990.