Recent Advancements in Microbial Polysaccharides: Synthesis and Applications

Abstract

Polysaccharide materials are widely applied in different applications including food, food packaging, drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound dressing, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation sectors. They were used in these domains due to their efficient, cost-effective, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. As is known, polysaccharides can be synthesized by different simple, facile, and effective methods. Of these polysaccharides are cellulose, Arabic gum, sodium alginate, chitosan, chitin, curdlan, dextran, pectin, xanthan, pullulan, and so on. In this current article review, we focused on discussing the synthesis and potential applications of microbial polysaccharides. The biosynthesis of polysaccharides from microbial sources has been considered. Moreover, the utilization of molecular biology tools to modify the structure of polysaccharides has been covered. Such polysaccharides provide potential characteristics to transfer toxic compounds and decrease their resilience to the soil. Genetically modified microorganisms not only improve yield of polysaccharides, but also allow economically efficient production. With the rapid advancement of science and medicine, biosynthesis of polysaccharides research has become increasingly important. Synthetic biology approaches can play a critical role in developing polysaccharides in simple and facile ways. In addition, potential applications of microbial polysaccharides in different fields with a particular focus on food applications have been assessed.

Biopolymer: A Sustainable Material for Food and Medical Applications

“…Due to their low cost, these biopolymers have evolved into unique and industrially relevant polymeric compounds. Microbial polysaccharides offer a wide range of uses in the food business due to their structural and physicochemical diversity [ 111 , 112 ]. They are used as stabilizers, emulsifiers, gelling agents, binders, coagulants, and suspending agents.…”

“…These are suitable substitutes for natural water-soluble gums and synthetics. Due to their superior properties, they may prove to be novel polymers in the food industry as suspending, thickening, and gelling agents [ 111 ]. Using genetically engineered microbes under-regulated fermentation settings might lead to the synthesis of new exopolysaccharides with improved characteristics, thus opening up new industrial uses.…”

Bacterial Cellulose: A Multipurpose Biomaterial for Manmade World

“…BC microfibrils are stabilized by intra-and intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions and van der waals forces [3,9]. Cellulose biosynthesized by K. xylinus has the extraordinary attributes of multidirectional polarity power and fluctuating thickness [10]. Two types of cellulose form in the crystallization mechanism of the microfibrils in K. xylinus: parallel arranged microfibril-based (cellulose I) and antiparallel arranged microfibril-based (cellulose II).…”

A Review of Recent Progress on Collagen‐Based Biomaterials

“…Due to their broad bioactive properties, including anticancer, immunomodulation, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiaging effects, natural polysaccharides have been widely employed in the food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries. [12][13][14] Natural proteins are extracted from animals, plants, and natural silks, like cattle, sheep, pigs, birds, fish, whole grains, vegetables, and beans, etc., which plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the integrity and protection of the organism. Natural proteins have been widely used in leather industries, cosmetics, food processing, and biomedical fields due to their biological origins, low immunogenicity, excellent biocompatibility, and good degradability.…”