Cyclic Tetrasaccharide in Sake Lees

Abstract

We searched for a cyclic tetrasaccharide, cyclo-{→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→} (abbreviated as CTS) in various foods. GLC analysis revealed that sake lees and sake contained CTS in ranges of 61 to 378 μg/g and 0.23 to 7.05 μg/g, respectively. CTS isolated from sake lees, showed ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra completely identical to those of CTS enzymatically synthesized from starch. We examined CTS formation in the cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC9763. Fed with additional sucrose on the 25th day of culture, cells (8.4 g) from a 39-day culture gave a significant amount of CTS (25.2 mg).