Production of glucan polymers from alternate sucrose sources
Reaction solutions are disclosed herein comprising water, incompletely refined sucrose, and a glucosyltransferase enzyme that synthesizes insoluble poly alpha-1,3-glucan having at least 50% alpha-1,3 glycosidic linkages and a weight average degree of polymerization (DP w ) of at least 100. The yield of poly alpha-1,3-glucan by a reaction solution herein is at least 7% of the weight of sucrose that was converted in the reaction solution. Further disclosed are methods of producing poly alpha-1,3-glucan using incompletely refined sucrose, and poly alpha-1,3-glucan produced by these methods.
1. Isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan, wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan is insoluble, has an L* value less than 93, and comprises at least 90% alpha-1,3 glycosidic linkages.
2. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 1 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan comprises at least 95% alpha-1,3 glycosidic linkages.
3. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 1 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan comprises at least 99% alpha-1,3 glycosidic linkages.
4. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 1 , wherein the weight average degree of polymerization (DP w ) of the poly alpha-1,3-glucan is at least 100.
5. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 1 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 90.
6. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 5 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 88.
7. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 6 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 86.
8. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 7 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 84.
9. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 8 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 82.
10. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 9 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 80.
11. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 10 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 78.
12. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 11 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 76.
13. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 12 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 74.
14. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 13 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 72.
15. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 14 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 70.
16. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 15 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 68.
17. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 16 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 66.
18. The isolated poly alpha-1,3-glucan of claim 17 , wherein the poly alpha-1,3-glucan has an L* value less than 64.