Fructans and fructose?

[bjorn]

In article <Pine.3.07.9503131537.A23497-9100000 at wagsun>, marchaa at agric.nsw.gov.au (A.Marchant) says:
>
>Could someone please tell me what a 'fructan' is?  
>How (biochemically) are fructans converted to fructose?
>What are the names of the relevant enzymes?
>

>
Fructans are polymers of fructose.
You find them in plants and in bacteria. In most bacteria the fructose units are linked 
beta(2-6). In streptococcus mutans GS-5 the linkage is 2-1.

Synthesis seems to be dominated by levansucrase while degradation are carried out by inulases and levanases.

Levan is a kind of fructan : its' a polymer of beta-D-fructose, and can for excample be isolated from Erwinia herbicola.
Inulin is also a poly fructose and can be isolated from by excample: Dahlia tubers, Chicory Root and Jerusalem Artichokes. 

Cheers! Bjorn