Food-grade heteropolysaccharides: ongoing research and future trends of biopolymers from lactic acid bacteria

GRACIELA FONT DE VALDEZ; MARÍA INÉS TORINO; L. DE VUYST; FERNANDA MOZZI

Applied Biotechnology, Food Science and Policy

Open MInd Journals Ltd

Lugar: Auckland, Nueva Zelanda; Año: 2003 vol. 1 p. 1 - 11

1175-9534

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a major role in the manufacturing of feremnted foods, especially feremnted dairy products. Although the presence of heteroplysaccharides (HePSs) seems no to confer ant advantage to cell growth and survival, in situ production typically imparts a desirable viscous, sometimes "ropy" texture to fermented foods and milk products. These food-grade biopolymers are economically important for the food industry. Current challenges are to improve the yiled of HePSs from LAB and to produce HePSs with a particular functionality on the basis of a better understanding of their biosynthesis and the relationship between their structure and function.