title: Production and properties of an exopolysaccharide synthesized by the extreme halophilic archaeon Haloterrigena turkmenica.
abstract: We have isolated a novel exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by the extreme halophilic archaeon Haloterrigena turkmenica. Some features, remarkable from an industrial point of view, such as emulsifying and antioxidant properties, were investigated. H. turkmenica excreted 20.68 mg of EPS per 100 ml of culture medium when grown in usual medium supplemented with glucose. The microorganism excreted the biopolymer mainly in the middle exponential growth phase and reached the maximal production in the stationary phase. Analyses by anion exchange chromatography and SEC-TDA Viscotek indicated that the EPS was composed of two main fractions of 801.7 and 206.0 kDa. It was a sulfated heteropolysaccharide containing glucose, galactose, glucosamine, galactosamine, and glucuronic acid. Studies performed utilizing the mixture of EPS anionic fractions showed that the biopolymer had emulsifying activity towards vegetable oils comparable or superior to that exhibited by the controls, moderate antioxidant power when tested with 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(·)), and moisture-retention ability higher than hyaluronic acid (HA). The EPS from H. turkmenica is the first exopolysaccharide produced by an archaea to be characterized in terms of properties that can have potential biotechnological applications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agro-environmental and Forest Biology, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Squillaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, Second University of Naples, Via De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Finamore
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, Second University of Naples, Via De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Diana
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, Second University of Naples, Via De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Odile Francesca
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Restaino
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, Second University of Naples, Via De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schiraldi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Biophysics 'A. Buzzati-Traverso', National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arbucci
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agro-environmental and Forest Biology, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ionata
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agro-environmental and Forest Biology, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: La Cara
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agro-environmental and Forest Biology, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy. alessandra.morana@ibaf.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morana
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D004655:Emulsions; D005690:Galactose / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016931:Halobacteriales / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D010851:Picrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D003470:Culture Media; D004655:Emulsions; D010851:Picrates; D011134:Polysaccharides; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl; D005947:Glucose; D005690:Galactose
keywords: Antioxidant; Emulsifying activity; Exopolysaccharide; Halophilic archaeon; Haloterrigena turkmenica; Moisture