Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mannan

mannan

1 8.4
A chain of sugar units found in plants, yeast, and fungi that helps gut health
  • noun
  • /ˈmænən/
  • Specialized
: mannano
  • Mannan is a polysaccharide that can help improve gut health when added to animal feed.

Examples

  • In another study, 29 stroke patients with homonymous visual field defects without neglect were given 20 daily training sessions in visual search tasks (Pambakian, Mannan, Hodgson, & Kennard, 2004).

    Academic text (2010)

  • Many health food products now include mannan for its beneficial effects on gut health.

  • Due to its high fiber content, mannan is often found in dietary supplements for digestive support.

Surface Forms

mannan singular
mannans plural

Morphology

mannan = mannose (semi-transparent) = mannose + an

Formed by adding the suffix '-an' to 'mannose' to denote a polymer; the relation is systematic in scientific nomenclature but the meaning is specialized and may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

The word mannan comes from the sugar mannose, with the ending -an showing it is made of many mannose 'parts'. So mannan is a long sugar made of mannose units, which is why we find it in plants, yeast, and fungi and why it can help gut health in food and animal feed.