Novel and established applications of microbial polysaccharides
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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Automated Modular High Throughput Exopolysaccharide Screening Platform Coupled with Highly Sensitive Carbohydrate Fingerprint Analysis
Published on: April 11, 2016
1Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, Edinburgh University, UK. I.W.Sutherland@ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
Microbial exopolysaccharides such as xanthan and dextran have been commercial products for many years; the search for new gelling agents has yielded gellan. Exopolysaccharides have many other novel properties to offer, and the discovery of immune modulation and tumouristasis by beta-D-glucans, and the use of bacterial cellulose in audio membranes and of hyaluronic acid in cosmetics provide some novel applications. Semisynthetic polymers and polysaccharides as sources of oligosaccharides and as enzyme substrates in the determination of enzyme specificity should further increase the interest in these macromolecules.
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