Beta-1,3-Glucan (also written as beta-glucan) is a natural polysaccharide with a backbone of D-glucose units connected by beta-1,3-linkages, often with beta-1,6-branching depending on the source organism. Yeast-derived beta-1,3/1,6-glucan is extracted from the cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using alkaline and enzymatic hydrolysis, while cereal-derived beta-1,3/1,4-glucan is extracted from oat or barley bran.
It exhibits strong immunostimulatory activity by binding to dectin-1 receptors on macrophages and has FDA-approved heart health claims (oat beta-glucan at 3 g/day). In food technology, particulate beta-glucan acts as a fat mimetic and texture modifier. It is approved as a novel food ingredient in the EU and holds self-affirmed GRAS status in the US.