Carbohydrate polymersDec 6, 2020

Improved breakdown of konjac fiber by special enzymes to produce prebiotic sugars

Updated Feb 25, 2026

Abstract

The growth of faecal microbiota increased 2.76 times when using KGM-depolymerizing products from PoLPMO9D as a carbon source.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) hydrolysate may enhance gastrointestinal health by modulating probiotic bacteria growth.
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) from Pleurotus ostreatus efficiently breaks down KGM into smaller oligosaccharides.
Maximal activity of PoLPMO9D occurs at temperatures between 50-60 °C and pH 4.0.
Using products from KGM depolymerization resulted in a significant increase in the genus Lactococcus.
Production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) increased by 14.6-fold alongside a notable decrease in pH.

Simplified

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) hydrolysate is a potentially valuable prebiotic that could improve gastrointestinal health by modulating the growth of probiotic bacteria and by promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In this study, we used lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) to produce oligosaccharides from KGM and studied their prebiotic functions. The LPMO from Pleurotus ostreatus (PoLPMO9D) was shown to efficiently depolymerize KGM and produce a broad range of small oligomers. PoLPMO9D showed maximal activities at 50-60 °C and pH 4.0. When KGM-depolymerizing products produced by PoLPMO9D were employed as the carbon source instead of untreated KGM polymers, the growth of faecal microbiota was 2.76 times higher, a significant increase in the genus Lactococcus was observed, and the production of SCFAs increased by 14.6-fold with a significant pH decrease. This study shows that LPMOs may be a promising alternative enzyme for depolymerizing polysaccharide to prepare prebiotics from KGM.

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