Extracellular polysaccharide from Weissella confusa OF126: Production, optimization, and characterization

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biochemistry
• Food Science

Background:

• Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are crucial biomolecules with diverse applications.
• Weissella confusa is a bacterial genus with known probiotic potential.
• Characterizing EPS and probiotic traits is vital for industrial utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce and characterize exopolysaccharide (EPS) from Weissella confusa OF126.
• To investigate the in-vitro probiotic potentials of Weissella confusa OF126.
• To optimize EPS production using statistical methods.

Main Methods:

• Exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and purification.
• Molecular weight determination and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis.
• Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for structural elucidation.
• Central Composite Design (CCD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for optimization.
• In-vitro assays for probiotic potential (acid and bile tolerance).

Main Results:

• Characterized EPS as a homopolysaccharide with an average molecular weight of 1.1 × 10^6 Da.
• FTIR and NMR confirmed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl, N-acetyl, and amine groups, with specific glycosidic linkages.
• Optimized EPS production yielded 3.00 g/L under specific conditions (48.5 h, 24 g/L sucrose, pH 7.0, 2.5% yeast extract).
• Demonstrated significant in-vitro antioxidant activity of the EPS.
• Weissella confusa OF126 exhibited tolerance to low pH (2.0) and bile salts (0.5%) for 4 hours.

Conclusions:

• Weissella confusa OF126 is a promising probiotic strain.
• The produced exopolysaccharide possesses valuable antioxidant properties.
• Optimized production and demonstrated probiotic attributes suggest potential industrial applications for both the strain and its EPS.