Highly thermostable exopolysaccharide produced by the moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from a man-made young salt lake in Romania

Halophilic bacterial strains isolated from a man-made salt lake in Romania produce a specific exopolysaccharide. This product is synthesized under both static and stirring conditions, and the yield of this exoploysaccharide depends on the composition of the culture medium. The highest amount of polymer was obtained in the presence of casamino acids and yeast extract, under stirring conditions. This polymer has high thermostability, with a melting point at 207°C. The melting process is associated with the thermal degradation of the compound. This polymer is characterized by maximum absorbtion at 260 nm and fluorescence emission at 530 nm. The FT-IR analysis of the polymer revealed the presence of a saccharide structure and of amine and sulfate groups throughout the sugar backbone.