Screening for the production of microbial polysaccharide by new isolated strains under optimized conditions
Microbial polysaccharides are macromolecules of industrial interest, used at food, pharmaceutical and medical industry due to their various properties. These compounds can be synthetized by bacteria, fungi and some algae possessing functional proprieties, which can be tailor-made as desirable by changes during the production. Besides that, their reproducible physical and chemical properties are desirable by the industry. The optimization of the production process aims to achieve better yields and consequently, cost reduction. In this perspective, this study conducted a series of experimental trials to evaluate the polysaccharide production and cell growth of a newly isolated bacterial strain (it remains unidentified) under different conditions of temperature (24, 27, 30, 33 and 36°C), agitation (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 rpm) and pH (4,5,6 7 and 8), at 0, 8, 24, 48 and 72 hours. The best results for polysaccharide production were obtained at temperatures varying from 27 to 33°C, agitation rates of 150 and 200 rpm, neutral pH, and 48 hours of fermentation, reaching a maximum yield of 25g/L of polysaccharide. These results suggests an optimum growth temperature of the microorganism used above 33°C, since better polysaccharides production was obtained below the growth temperature; high agitation rates for better oxygen distribution; and values of pH and fermentation time suggesting balanced degradation effects. The strain used presents high product synthesizability and a new and viable source for a high-value product, but further optimization tests are still needed to better understand this bioprocess aiming higher performance.