Beta-glucan is a type of polysaccharide composed of a sequence of glucose (sugar) molecules linked together. It has been identified as providing great benefits for animals and humans. There are different sources of beta-glucan such as cereals (oats and barley), but those from yeast have been confirmed to be of greater benefit to both human and animal health because they allow a perfect binding with the membranes of immune cells. As a result of this high affinity, the percentage of beta-glucans that manage to bind to the immune cell receptor is notably higher than beta-glucans from plant sources. It can thus be stated that the immune response elicited by yeast beta-glucans is the highest known so far. At present, the microorganism most widely used industrially in the development of food additives is Saccharomyces cerevisiae because it was one of the first organisms to be genetically modified to produce such additives. However, the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has also been shown to have different properties for food use.

In this review, the production of beta-glucan from Yarrowia lipolytica for different applications will be analyzed as a great potential for business creation.