Structural Characterization and in Vitro Fermentation of β‑Mannooligosaccharides Produced from Locust Bean Gum by GH-26 endo-β-1,4-Mannanase (ManB-1601)

Size exclusion chromatography of β-mannooligosaccharides (β-MOS) mixtures, obtained from ManB-1601 hydrolysis of locust bean gum, resulted in separation of oligosaccharides with various degrees of polymerization (DP 2, 3, and 5). The oligosaccharides were structurally [ESI-MS, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and NMR (1H and 13C)] and functionally (in vitro fermentation) characterized. DP2 oligosaccharide was composed of two species, (A) mannopyranose β-1,4 mannopyranose and (B) α-1,6-galactosyl-mannopyranose, while DP3 oligosaccharide showed the presence of only one species, i.e. α-d-galactosyl-β-d-mannobiose. ManB-1601 was capable of cleaving near the branch points in the substrate, resulting in oligosaccharides with galactose at the terminal position apart from attacking unsubstituted β-1,4-glycosidic linkages. DP2 and DP3 improved the growth of three out of seven species of Lactobacillus while DP5 resulted in poor growth of all Lactobacillus spp. under in vitro conditions. DP2, DP3, and DP5 were found to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhi.