An enzymatically produced soluble α-glucan fiber composition is provided suitable for use as a digestion resistant fiber in food and feed applications. The soluble α-glucan fiber composition can be blended with one or more additional food ingredients to produce fiber-containing compositions. Methods for the production and use of compositions comprising the soluble α-glucan fiber are also provided.

A material comprising a highly branched carbohydrate polymer, a polyalkylene glycol (or polyalkylene oxide) linked to the highly branched carbohydrate polymer, and a hydrophobic or amphiphilic group linked to the highly branched carbohydrate polymer and/or the polyalkylene glycol (or polyalkylene oxide), is described. Methods of making and using the material, as well as a soluble composition that contains the material and a hydrophobic solute compound, are also described.

Disclosed herein are coated articles comprising a substrate having at least one surface, and a coating composition disposed in a substantially continuous layer on at least one surface of the substrate, wherein the coating composition is present in an amount sufficient to increase the oxygen barrier property of the substrate, and the coating composition comprises a polysaccharide derivative. The polysaccharide derivative can comprise a poly alpha-1,3-glucan ether compound, such as a quaternary ammonium alpha-1,3-glucan ether. Also disclosed is packaging comprising the coated article.

An object of the present invention is to provide a protein that catalyzes an α-1,6-glucosyl transfer reaction and can efficiently produce an α-1,6-glucan, an enzyme preparation for producing an α-1,6-glucan, which comprise said protein as an active ingredient, and a method for producing an α-1,6-glucan using the enzyme preparation. The present invention provides a protein having an activity for catalyzing an α-1,6-glucosyl transfer reaction, which is any of the proteins (a) to (c) mentioned below: (a) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3; (b) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having an amino acid sequence identity of 90% or higher to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3; and (c) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence in which one or several amino acid(s) have been substituted, inserted, deleted and/or added in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3. The present invention provides an enzyme preparation for use in production of an α-1,6-glucan from an oligosaccharide and/or polysaccharide having an α-1,4-glucosidic linkage and/or an α-1,6-glucosidic linkage, which contains the aforementioned protein. The present invention provides a method for producing an α-1,6-glucan, which comprises the reaction step of allowing the aforementioned enzyme preparation to act on an oligosaccharide and/or polysaccharide having an α-1,4-glucosidic linkage and/or an α-1,6-glucosidic linkage to obtain an α-1,6-glucan.

A preparation of a homogeneous polysaccharide from a Radix Puerariae aqueous extract is provided and the lipid-lowering activity of the polysaccharide is studied. It is proved through in vivo experiments that the homogeneous polysaccharide QL extracted from Radix Puerariae (a genuine medicinal material in Jiangxi Province) in the present disclosure has significant lipid-lowering activity, can significantly reduce a serum triglyceride content and a liver index, and can be used to develop a potential safe and effective lipid-lowering drug.

An enzymatically produced α-glucan oligomer/polymer compositions is provided. The enzymatically produced α-glucan oligomer/polymers can be derivatized into α-glucan ether compounds. The α-glucan oligomers/polymers and the corresponding α-glucan ethers are cellulose and/or protease resistant, making them suitable for use in fabric care and laundry care applications. Methods for the production and use of the present compositions are also provided.

An object of the present invention is to provide an α-glucan mixture in a preferable molecular weight range, which can be made into a transparent film with advantageous strength and water solubility when an edible film is made by using the α-glucan mixture without adding any plasticizer. The above object is solved by providing an α-glucan mixture, which is obtainable by a process comprising the steps of gelatinizing waxy starch and liquefying the resulting gelatinized waxy starch by allowing an amylase to act on it, having the following characteristics (1) and (2): (1) having the weight average molecular weight (Mw) in a range of 150 kDa to 3,000 kDa; and (2) having the value of dividing weight average molecular weight (Mw) with number average molecular weight (Mn), Mw/Mn, of 35.1 or lower.

A water soluble iron carbohydrate complex obtainable from an aqueous solution of iron(III) salt and an aqueous solution of the oxidation product of one or more maltrodextrins using an aqueous hypochlorite solution at a pH-value within the alkaline range, where, when one maltodextrin is applied, its dextrose equivalent lies between 5 and 20, and when a mixture of several maltodextrins is applied, the dextrose equivalent of the mixture lies between 5 and 20 and the dextrose equivalent of each individual maltodextrin contained in the mixture lies between 2 and 40, a process for its production and a medicament for the treatment and prophylaxis of iron deficiency conditions.

Carbohydrate compositions having lower digestibility and lower sugar compared to traditional nutritive sweeteners, methods of making the carbohydrate compositions, and food products comprising the carbohydrate compositions are disclosed.

The present invention relates to a novel stable colloidal polysaccharide suspension containing α(1.fwdarw.3)-glucan, a cost-effective method for its preparation, and possible uses of these polysaccharide suspensions.