Abstract
Levan fructotransferase of Arthrobacter ureafaciens was shown to degrade Bacillus mesentericus levan up to about 40 %, leaving the levan fragment at the limit of the enzymatic degradation, while it degraded Phleum pratense phlein more than 90 %, with the respective formation of 5 and 6% reducing sugars as D-fructose. Each enzymatic digest of levan and phlein at the limit of degradation gave, in addition to the main spot of di-D-fructose 2, 6': 2', 6 dianhydride (difructose anhydride IV), two or three minor fructooligosaccharide spots on a thin-layer chromatogram. These minor oligosaccharides semiquantitatively fractionated at the limit of degradation were found to be essentially different between levan and phlein, though small amounts of fructose and levanbiose were produced in both the digests.
