Bacterial Levans Polyfructoses

Bacterial levans, as distinct from other polyfructoses, may be molecules possessing highly branched structures and very high molecular weights. 

Microbial extracellular polysaccharides can be divided into three groups on the basis of structural composition (Sutherland 1997). (1) Homopolysaccharides—These are comprised of a single structural unit that can be further categorized as (a) linear or (b) branched polymers. An example of a linear homopolysaccharide is bacterial cellulose (polyglucose). Branched homopolysaccharides are represented by levans (polyfructoses) and dextrans (polyglucose). 

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