PREPARATION OF L-ARABINOSE-CONTAINING POLYSACCHARIDES AND ACTION OF AN ALPHA-L-ARABINOFURANOSIDASE ON THESE POLYSACCHARIDES

A method, involving chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel-filtration on Sephadex G-50, is described for purification of the l-arabinan from a crude beet arabinan preparation. From the purified l-arabinan a (1 → 5)-linked l-arabinan was prepared by treatment with an α-l-arabinofuranosidase from Aspergillus niger and was characterized as a linear polymer. The l-arabinofuranose residues in these l-arabinans were hydrolyzed by action of the α-l-arabinofuranosidase, and the l-arabinose residues in wheat l-arabino-d-xylan and a small proportion of those in gum arabic were also susceptible to hydrolysis by the enzyme. © 1969.