Important Properties and Industrial Applications of Market-Valued EPS

COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT PROPERTIES AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF MARKET-VALUED EPS 

The microbial EPSs are a class of high-value polymers that have many industrial applications. Research in this area has led to the production of several microbial polysaccharides on an industrial scale like xanthan, dextran, alginate, geUan, curdlan. Xanthan and gellan are commercially most appreciated on the global market for hydrocolloids with xanthan gum being the only significant bacterial exopolysaccharide, which accounted for 6% of the total market value.  

For gel forming, the addition of trivalent salts such as chromium or aluminum is required to shield the negative charges on the branched trisaccharide and minimize electrostatic repulsion. 

Although bacterial cellulose has the same chemical composition but different structures and physical properties, it is preferred over the plant cellulose as it can be obtained in higher purity and exhibits a higher degree of polymerization and crystallinity index. Its fibrils are about 100 times thinner, have higher tensile strength and better water holding capacity than those of plant cellulose.  

Curdlan was discovered in 1966 and received its name because of its ability to curdle when heated. It is insoluble in cold water but aqueous suspensions plasticize and briefly dissolved on heating at 55 °C and form an elastic gel.  

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Commercially Important Properties and Industrial Applications of Market-Valued EPS... 

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