A concise method using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the source of the β-glucan extracted from...

β-glucan prepared from mushrooms is used in both modern medicine and traditional oriental therapies because of its potent immunomodulatory properties. The effects of β-glucan depend on its structure and origin. Therefore, elucidating the structure and source of β-glucan is crucial for its use in food therapy and medicine. In this study, we performed NMR analysis of β-glucan preparations from various mushrooms in order to determine their structure and source. Our results show that NMR spectroscopy can be used to determine the type of mushrooms from which a β-glucan is derived on the basis of the structure of the β-glucan. We believe that this method will help promote the use of β-glucan in clinical settings and as a health food additive.