Production and Characterization of Extracellular Polysaccharide Produced by Pseudomonas sp. GP32

A strain GP32 which produces a highly viscous extracellular polysaccharide was conducted with soil samples and identified as Pseudomonas species. The culture flask conditions for the production of extracellular polysaccharide by Pseudomonas sp. GP32 were investigated. The most suitable carbon and nitrogen source for extracellular polysaccharide production were galactose and (NH4)2SO4. The optimum carbon/nitrogen ratio for the production of extracellular polysaccharide was around 50. The optimum pH and temperature for extracellular polysaccharide production was 7.5 and 32°C, respectively. In batch fermentation using a jar fermentor, the highest extracellular polysaccharide content (15.7 g/l) was obtained after 70 hr of cultivation. The extracellular polysaccharide produced by Pseudomonas sp. GP32 (designated Biopol32) was purified by ethanol precipitation, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) precipitation, and gel permeation chromatography. Biopol32, which has an estimated molecular weight of over 3×10 7 datons, is a novel polysaccharide derived from sugar components consisting of galactose, glucose, gulcouronic acid and galactouronic acid in an approximate molar ratio of 1.85 : 3.24 : 1.00 : 1.42. The solution of Biopol32 showed non-Newtonian characteristics. The viscosity of Biopol32 exhibited appeared to be higher at all concentration compared to that of zooglan from Zoogloea ramigera. An analysis of the flocculating efficiency of Biopol32 in industry wastewater (food, textile, and paper wastewater) revealed chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction rates 58.4-67.3% and suspended solid (SS) removal rates 82.6-91.3%. Based on these results, Biopol32 is a possible candidate for industrial applications such as wastewater treatment.