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Review
. 2021 Nov 26;13(23):4136.
doi: 10.3390/polym13234136.

Recent Advancements in Microbial Polysaccharides: Synthesis and Applications

Yehia A-G Mahmoud  1 , Mehrez E El-Naggar  2 , Ahmed Abdel-Megeed  3 , Mohamed El-Newehy  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Recent Advancements in Microbial Polysaccharides: Synthesis and Applications

Yehia A-G Mahmoud et al. Polymers (Basel). .

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.

Keywords: biopolymers; exopolysaccharides; food industry; microbial polysaccharides.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Synthesis pathway for producing EPS. TPR: tetratricopeptide repeat protein; OPX: outer membrane polysaccharide export; PCP: polysaccharide co-polymerase; GTs: glycosyltransferases, modified from [41].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed basic strategies for the in vitro modification of polysaccharides.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A diagram illustrates the alginate-chitosan beads with single- and double-layer coatings. Adapted from Ref. [167].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Fabrication and biocompatibility assessment of polysaccharide materials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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