A water-soluble β-glucan from fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus was obtained after water extraction, purification and fractionation. Analyses of monosaccharide composition, molecular weight and linkage mode demonstrated that it is a β-glucan with 1→3 and 1→6 linkage modes and a molecular weight of 13.3 kDa. An endo-1,6-β-d-glucanase was used to digest the β-glucan and the digested products over time were analyzed with a HPAEC-PAD-MS platform. The linkage mode of each glycosidic bond in the digested oligosaccharides were confirmed with MS/MS. At the end of digestion, enzyme resistant oligosaccharides were observed as several 1→6 linked glucoses with one or two 1→3 linked glucose residues. All these domains are more like constructional pieces from a branch-on-branch glucan, in which multiple 1→6 linked glucan chains are hooked through one or two 1→3 linked glucose residues. Averagely, there is a 1→3 linkage per six 1→6 linked glucoses in this branch-on-branch β-glucan.
Keywords: HPACE-PAD; Hericium erinaceus; MS/MS; Sequence analysis; β-Glucan.
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