Biopolymers are superior to petrochemical-derived polymers in several aspects that embrace biocompatibility, biodegradability, and both environmental and human compatibility. During recent years, a variety of biopolymers have become available for use in many applications that are not only compatible with human lifestyle but also are friendly to the environment. Due to their many interesting physicochemical and rheological properties with novel functionality, the microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) act as new biomaterials and find wide range of applications in many industrial sectors like textiles, detergents, adhesives, microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), wastewater treatment, dredging, brewing, downstream processing, cosmetology, pharmacology, and food additives. Xanthan, dextran and pullulan are examples of microbial polysaccharides with a considerable market due to their exceptional properties. Biopolymers with properties superior to the commercial ones could not preserve their functions under industrial process conditions like extremes of temperature, salinity or pH. Hence, most research is focused on the identification of EPS producing extremophiles with the idea that as these microorganisms survive environmental extremes of desiccation, temperature, pressure, salinity, acidity, heavy metals, and radiation, it is to be expected that their biopolymers will also have some unique properties to adapt to such extreme conditions. Considering the widespread use of microbial polysaccharides in various industrial applications, production of EPS by Halomonas sp AAD6 bacteria isolated from Çamaltı Saltern Area in Izmir was used within the scope of this study. The fermentation conditions were optimized for high-yield biopolymer production by this microorganism. Also within the scope of this study, this novel exopolysaccharide was produced under controlled bioreactor conditions, purified with high yield and chemically characterized.
