title: Conversion of cheese whey into a fucose- and glucuronic acid-rich extracellular polysaccharide by Enterobacter A47.
abstract: Cheese whey was used as the sole substrate for the production of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) by Enterobacter A47. An EPS concentration of 6.40 g L(-1) was reached within 3.2 days of cultivation, corresponding to a volumetric productivity of 2.00 g L(-1) d(-1). The produced EPS was mainly composed of glucuronic acid (29 mol%) and fucose (29 mol%), with lower contents of glucose and galactose (21 mol% each) and a total acyl groups content of 32 wt.%. The polymer had an average molecular weight of 1.8×10(6) Da, with a polydispersity index of 1.2, and an intrinsic viscosity of 8.0 dL g(-1). EPS aqueous solutions (1.0 wt.% in 0.01 M NaCl, at pH 8.0) presented a shear thinning behavior with a viscosity of the first Newtonian plateau approaching 0.1 Pas. This novel glucuronic acid-rich polymer possesses interesting rheological properties, which, together with its high content of glucuronic acid and fucose, two bioactive sugar monomers, confers it a great potential for use in high-value applications, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, FCT/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sílvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, FCT/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: a4406@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: LEAF - Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vítor D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Interfacultary Research Centre of Biomaterials (CEIB), University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grandfils
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, FCT/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D061249:Batch Cell Culture Techniques; D019149:Bioreactors; D002611:Cheese; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005643:Fucose / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D014783:Viscosity; D000067796:Whey / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D005643:Fucose; D020723:Glucuronic Acid
keywords: Cheese whey; Enterobacter A47; Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS); Fucose; Glucuronic acid