Chemical characterization of a water insoluble (1 → 3)-α-d-glucan from an alkaline extract of Aspergillus wentii

► A water-insoluble glucan (AW-WIG) was isolated from Aspergillus wentii. ► The molecular weight of the polymer was estimated as about 850 kDa. ► AW-WIG is a linear polymer almost exclusively composed of (1 → 3)-linked α-d-glucose. ► The polymer was divided into subunits separated by spacers of (1 → 4)-linked glucoses. ► AW-WIG may be used as an inducer in mutanase production.