- Exopolysaccharide
Exopolysaccharides are high-molecular-weight polymers that are composed of sugar residues and are secreted by a
microorganism into the surrounding environment. Microorganisms synthesize a wide spectrum of multifunctionalpolysaccharide s including intracellular polysaccharides, structural polysaccharides and extracellular polysaccharides or exopolysaccharides (EPS). Exopolysaccharides generally constitute of monosaccharides and some non-carbohydrate substituents (such asacetate ,pyruvate ,succinate , andphosphate ). Owing to the wide diversity in composition, exopolysaccharides have found multifarious applications in various food and pharmaceutical industries. Many microbial EPS provide properties that are almost identical to thegum s currently in use. With innovative approaches, efforts are underway to supersede the traditionally used plant and algal gums by their microbial counterparts. Moreover, considerable progress has been made in discovering and developing new microbial EPS that possess novel industrial significance. cite book |author=Suresh and Mody|year=2009|chapter=Microbial Exopolysaccharides: Variety and Potential Applications|title=Microbial Production of Biopolymers and Polymer Precursors|publisher=Caister Academic Press|id = ISBN 978-1-904455-36-3]List of exopolysaccharides
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acetan ("Acetobacter xylinum")
*alginate ("Azotobacter vinelandii")
*cellulose ("Acetobacter xylinum")
*chitosan ("Mucorales spp.")
*curdlan ("Alcaligenes faecalis" var. "myxogenes")
*cyclosophoran s ("Agrobacterium" spp., "Rhizobium" spp. and "Xanthomonas" spp.)
*dextran ("Leuconostoc mesenteroides", "Leuconostoc dextranicum" and "Lactobacillus hilgardii")
*emulsan ("Acinetobacter calcoaceticus")
*galactoglucopolysaccharide s ("Achromobacter" spp., "Agrobacterium radiobacter", "Pseudomonas marginalis", "Rhizobium" spp. and "Zooglea' spp.)
*gellan ("Aureomonas elodea" and "Sphingomonas paucimobilis")
*glucuronan ("Rhizobium meliloti")
*N-acetyl-heparosan ("Escherichia coli")
*hyaluronic acid ("Streptococcus equi")
*indican ("Beijerinckia indica")
*kefiran ("Lactobacillus hilgardii")
*lentinan ("Lentinus elodes")
* levan ("Alcaligenes viscosus", "Zymomonas mobilis")
*pullulan ("Aureobasidium pullulans")
*scleroglucan ("Sclerotium rolfsii", "Sclerotium delfinii" and "Sclerotium glucanicum")
*schizophyllan ("Schizophylum commune")
*succinoglycan ("Alcaligenes faecalis" var "myxogenes")
*xanthan ("Xanthomonas campestris")
*welan ("Alcaligenes" spp.)ee also
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Polysaccharides
*Microbiology References
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