Characterization, high production and antimicrobial activity of exopolysaccharides from Lactococcus lactis F-mou

A new exopolysaccharide (EPS) was produced by the Lactococcus lactis F-mou strain (LT898177.1) isolated from the Sahrawi camel milk in the Bir-Naam region, Algeria. The most influential production parameters were screened by the Plackett-Burman design for enhancing EPS yield utilizing the Mech-Degla juice as a low-cost raw material. An optimum condition of a 0.49 of inoculum size, a 100 rpm of agitation rate, and a 12 h of incubation period resulted in a 301 g/L. This yield was 47 times higher than the one attained before the application of the Box-Behnken Design. Additionally, the FTIR analysis of the EPS confirmed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl, amide and sulphate groups. Furthermore, the SEM image showed a porous structure characterized by a flake-like basic configuration with an extremely dense assembly. The NMR studies indicated that EPS contained a backbone of→4-α-D-galactopyranose-(1→, →4, 6-α-D-glucopyranose-(1→, →6- α -D- galactopyranose -(1→ linkages plus a levan part. The EPS exhibited good water and oil holding capacities, a high antioxidant efficiency, and an excellent anti-clotting activity. EPS also showed a strong inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Proteus mirabilis, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, and Candida albicans. Overall, the mentioned findings indicated that EPS could be utilized as a natural additive in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.