Production and physicochemical characterization of β-glucan produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa JB115

This study was conducted to develop a bacterial glucan as an animal feed additive. A novel glucan-producing bacterium, Paenibacillus polymyxa JB115, was isolated from Korean soil. The glucan, JB115-BG, produced by P. polymyxa JB115, was confirmed by TLC to be composed of glucose only. By examining FT-IR, H-1 NMR, and C-13 NMR spectra, it was proven that JB115-BG has a beta-(1 -> 3)- and beta-(1 -> 6)-linked glucan structure. The particle size of JB115-BG was distributed in the range of 4 similar to 800 pm, with a mean value of 149.1 mu m, and its molecular distribution ranged from 6.9 similar to 3,103.7 kDa. It was also observed that 80% of the purified JB115-BG had a molecular distribution above 100 kDa. The obtained results suggest that the glucan JB115-BG can be used as an animal feed additive for the purpose of enhancing immunity. (C) KSBB.