Exopolisaccharides production by isolated bacili from sugarcane juice.

ANDUNI GUILLERMO; GUSILS CARLOS; RUIZ MARCELO; CÁRDENAS GERÓNIMO

BIOCELL

Instituto de Histología y Embriología "Dr. Mario H. Burgos". CONICET

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2008 vol. 32 p. 94 - 94

0327-9545

The synthesis of exopolisaccharides (EPS) by bacteria is detrimental to sugar manufacturing. The problems are widely known and there is an extensive literature on the subject, which establishes a direct link between dextran production and the presence of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The objectives were to isolate EPS-producing bacilli and study EPS production kinetics. Four isolates were selected from 82 (A, C, 20, 47). C strain was the major EPS producer, with 350 mg/l. EPS production by C strain starts after 4 hs of incubation, reaching its highest level after 48 hs of growth. PH drops from 7 to 6 after 10 hs of incubation, and remains constant up to 48 hours. A significant number of microorganisms different from L. Mesenteroides, with the capacity to produce EPS, were isolated from sugarcane juice. These findings led us to propose experimental designs to establish interactions between polysaccharide-producing strains, such as L. Mesenteroides, and bacilli selected in this work.