About
Dextran Products has been manufacturing dextran and important dextran derivatives since the Company began operations over four decades ago. Its fully equipped, 28,000 sq. ft. Toronto production facility manufactures powders & liquids in bulk for sale and export through an international network of human and animal health product distributors.
The Dextran supplied by Dextran Products is biosynthesized by the non-pathogenic Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-512.
The product is enzymatically synthesized by the transfer of glucosyl groups from sucrose to the growing Dextran chain.
The enzyme, Dextran-Sucrose performs the following reaction:
n sucrose Dextran n (glucose) – chain + n (fructose) Sucrose
They are linked by alpha-(1-6)-linkages. The presence of a small number of alpha-(1-3)-linkages gives rise to branching of the chain.
The molecular weight of native Dextran may be as high as several hundred million due to its chain formation.
The specific molecular weight produced can be manufactured by partial acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis of the molecule followed by repeated fractionation and precipitation with alcohol or by ultra-filtration.