Beta-Mannanase (endo-1, 4-ß-mannanase ) is made from a refined strain of Trichoderma through liquid fermentation and extraction technology. This product is a subcategory of hemicellulase, which can break the beta-1, 4 glycosidic bonds of mannan into mannan-oligosaccharides. The substrates are ß mannan, galactomannan, and galactose.
Mannanase is the major constituent of the hemicellulose fraction in softwoods and shows widespread distribution in plant tissues. The major mannan-degrading enzymes are β-mannanases, β-mannosidases, and β-glucosidases. In addition to these, other enzymes such as α-galactosidases and acetyl mannan esterases, are required to remove the side-chain substituents. The mannanases are known to be produced by a variety of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, plants, and animals. Microbial mannanases are mainly extracellular and can act in a wide range of pH and temperature because of which they have found applications in pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, food, feed, oil, and textile industries. This review summarizes the studies on mannanases reported in recent years in terms of important microbial sources, production conditions, enzyme properties, heterologous expression, and potential industrial applications.