@misc{10481/28518,
year = {2012},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/28518},
abstract = {We have studied the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) produced by the type strain, M8T, of the halophilic bacterium Halomonas almeriensis, to ascertain whether it might have any biotechnological applications. All the cultural parameters tested influenced both bacterial growth and polysaccharide production. EPS production was mainly growth-associated and under optimum environmental and nutritional conditions M8T excreted about 1.7 g of EPS per litre of culture medium (about 0.4 g of EPS per gram of dry cell weight). Analysis by anion-exchange chromatography and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography indicated that the exopolysaccharide was composed of two fractions, one of 6.3 × 106 and another of 1.5 × 104 Daltons. The monosaccharide composition of the high-molecular-weight fraction was mannose (72% w/w), glucose (27.5% w/w) and rhamnose (0.5% w/w). The low-molecular-weight fraction contained mannose (70% w/w) and glucose (30% w/w). The EPS has a substantial protein fraction (1.1% w/w) and was capable of emulsifying several hydrophobic substrates, a capacity presumably related to its protein content. The EPS produced solutions of low viscosity with pseudoplastic behaviour. It also had a high capacity for binding some cations. It contained considerable quantities of sulphates (1.4% w/w), an unusual feature in bacterial polysaccharides. All these characteristics render it potentially useful as a biological agent, bio-detoxifier and emulsifier.},
organization = {This research was supported by grants from the Dirección General de Investigación Científica
y Técnica BOS 2003-00498; CGL2005-05947; CGL2008-02399; BIO2011-2013 and by grants from
the Plan Andaluz de Investigación PO6-CVI-01850.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Extremophiles},
keywords = {Halophilic bacteria},
keywords = {Halomonas almeriensis},
keywords = {Exopolysaccharide},
keywords = {Sulphates},
keywords = {Heavy-metal chelation},
keywords = {Emulsifying activity},
title = {The Potential Biotechnological Applications of the Exopolysaccharide Produced by the Halophilic Bacterium Halomonas almeriensis},
doi = {10.3390/molecules17067103},
author = {Llamas Company, Inmaculada and Amjres, Hakima and Mata Gómez, Juan Antonio and Quesada Arroquia, Emilia and Béjar Luque, María Victoria},
}