CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION OF 2 EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES FROM BACILLUS-THERMOANTARCTICUS

The thermophilic bacterium Bacillus thermoantarcticus produces two exo cellular polysaccharides (EPS 1 and EPS 2), which can be obtained from the supernatant of liquid cultures by cold-ethanol precipitation, in yields as high as 400 mg liter(-1). The EPS fraction was produced with all substrates tested, although a higher yield was obtained with mann ose as the carbon and energy source, The EPS content was proportional to the total biomass. On a weight basis, EPS 1 and EPS 2 represented a bout 27 and 71%, respectively, of the total carbohydrate fraction, EPS 1 is a sulfate heteropolysaccharide containing mannose and glucose in a relative molar proportion of 1.0 and 0.7, respectively, EPS 2 is a sulfate homopolysaccharide containing mannose as the major component. The absolute configurations of hexoses were shown to be D for both EPS s, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra confirmed the presence of alpha- D-mannose and beta-D-glucose in EPS 1 and only alpha-D-mannose in EPS 2, In addition, H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and chemical a nalysis indicated the presence of pyruvic acid in EPS 2.