Method of physicochemically producing glycogen and glycogen obtained by the same

Abstract

A method of producing glycogen is provided. The method comprises the step of heat- and pressure-treating a sugar-containing material under acidic conditions. The sugar-containing material is a polysaccharide or an oligosaccharide. Alternatively, the sugar-containing material is a plant material selected from the group consisting of Panax notoginseng, Yun Nan San-chi powder (trademark), Panax ginseng, wheat flour, soybean, soy flour, shiitake, and coffee extract residue. Representatively, the glycogen includes a molecule having a molecular weight of 10,000 or less. The glycogen has a specific rotation of [α] D +197° and anomeric proton peaks at 5.37 ppm and 4.95 to 5.33 ppm in 1 H NMR spectra.

1 . A method of producing glycogen, comprising the step of heat- and pressure-treating a sugar-containing material under acidic conditions. 
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-containing material is a polysaccharide or an oligosaccharide. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-containing material is a homopolysaccharide of glucose. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-containing material is starch, cellulose, pullulan, or dextran. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-containing material is a plant material selected from the group consisting of Panax notoginseng, Yun Nan San-chi powder (trademark), Panax ginseng, wheat flour, soy bean, soy flour, shiitake, and coffee extract residue. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the plant material is in the form of unprocessed tissue, granules or powder of a plant. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the heating step is carried out in the presence of organic acid. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7 , wherein the organic acid is citric acid. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the heating step is carried out in the presence of citric acid having a weight of about 10% relative to the sugar-containing material. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the heating step is carried out under pressure.