Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2025
Automated Modular High Throughput Exopolysaccharide Screening Platform Coupled with Highly Sensitive Carbohydrate Fingerprint Analysis
Published on: April 11, 2016
Polyhydroxyalkanoates and exopolysaccharides: An alternative for valuation of the co-production of microbial
Edmilson Clarindo de Siqueira1, Aline de Andrade Alves1, Páblo Eugênio da Costa E Silva1
1Centro de Tecnologias Estratégicas do Nordeste (CETENE), Cidade Universitária, Recife, Brazil.
Abstract:
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and exopolysaccharides (EPSs) belong to a class of abundant biopolymers produced by various fermenting microorganisms. These biocompounds have high value-added potential and can be produced concurrently. Co-production of PHAs and EPSs is a strategy employed by researchers to reduce costs associated with large-scale production. EPSs and PHAs are non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable, making them suitable for various industrial sectors, including packaging and the medical and pharmaceutical industries. These biopolymers can be derived from agro-industrial residues, thus contributing to the bioeconomy by producing high-value-added products. This review investigates approaches for simultaneously synthesizing PHAs and EPSs using different carbon sources and microorganisms.
Related Concept Videos
02:34Polymers
01:15Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...