Levan polysaccharide
Introduction

[thumb\|295x295px\|Levan in the linear form with beta 2,6 glycosidic linkages.](/wiki/File:Levan_%28linear%29.png "Levan (linear).png")
[thumb\|265x265px\|Levan in the branched from with beta 2,1 glycosidic linkages.](/wiki/File:Levan_%28branching%29.png "Levan (branching).png")
**Levan** is a naturally occurring [fructan](/wiki/Fructan "Fructan") present in many plants and microorganisms. This polymer is made up of [fructose](/wiki/Fructose "Fructose"), a monosaccharide sugar, connected by 2,6 beta [glycosidic linkages](/wiki/Glycosidic_bond "Glycosidic bond"). Levan can have both branched and linear structures of relatively low molecular weight. Branched levan forms a very small, sphere\-like structure with basal chains 9 units long. The 2,1 branching allows methyl ethers to form and create a spherical shape. The ends of levan also tend to contain a glucosyl residue. Branched levan tends to be more stable than linear polysaccharides. However, the amount of branching and length of polymerization tends to vary among different species. The shortest levan is 6\-[kestose](/wiki/Kestose "Kestose"), a chain of two fructose molecules and a terminal glucose molecule.


Are there any other types of fructans similar to levan?