ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the energy-yielding metabolism of glucose, and describes that a wide range of monosaccharides are metabolized by gut bacteria. It discusses the enzymes responsible for the release of monosaccharides from disaccharides, plant glycosides, and from oligo, polysaccharides, and mucins. A number of other glycosidases have been assayed in bacterial strains. Cellobiose consists of 3 glucose molecules linked by p (1 - 4)-bonds and so can be degraded by p-glucosidase. Starch contains two major components: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose, which accounts for approximately 25% of most starch sources consists of linear chains of glucose molecules linked by a(l - 4)-bonds. Amylopectin, which accounts for the remaining 75% of starch, consists of amylase with branches of a(l - 6)-linked glucose chains. Bacterial hydrolysis of glycosides is of great value in the identification of bacterial species and many of the enzymes are important in determining human lifestyle.
