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Polymers
Special Issues
Advances in Microbial Biopolymers
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Advances in Microbial Biopolymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2023) | Viewed by 5502

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aparna Banerjee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de investigación en Estudios Avanzados del Maule (CIEAM), Vicerrectoría de Investigación Y Posgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel 3605, Talca, Maule, Chile
Interests: biopolymers; exopolysaccharides; green synthesis of nanoparticles; extremophilic microbiology; microbial conservation; microbial bioinformatics
Dr. Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Desarrollo Tecnológico (UDT), Universidad de Concepción, Av. Cordillera 2634, Parque Industrial Coronel, Coronel 3349001, Chile
Interests: polysaccharides; biocomposites, nanocomposites; nanofibers; biological activity; food packaging, biorefinery
Dr. Ashok Kumar Nadda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173234, India
Interests: biocatalysis; biopolymers; CO2 conversion; nanocatalysis; bioresources and industrial products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial cell factories have been well studied over the last decades for the production of a large diversity of intracellular and extracellular biopolymers. Microbial polymers, such as polysaccharides (Capsular polysaccharide, Lipopolysaccharide, and Exopolysaccharides), polyesters (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), polyphosphates, or proteinaceous compounds, are not only reported to have role in microbial pathogenicity, but also function as a protecting sheath to the microorganisms growing in the different extreme environments of Earth. Interdisciplinary research on microbial biopolymers has shone a spotlight on their cellular and molecular mechanisms of biosynthesis, and also their diverse applications in the food industry (food additives, food packaging, or food processing), wastewater treatment, bioremediation of toxic/xenobiotic compounds, the pharmaceutical industry (biomedicine and drug carriers), and much more.

This Special Issue seeks papers which focus on the “Frontiers in Microbial Biopolymers” from different perspectives, such as exploration and complete characterization of novel microbial biopolymers from different ecosystems, including extreme environments; novel applications of microbial biopolymers in different industrial applications; understanding the biosynthesis of microbial biopolymers; and the synthesis and applications of microbial biopolymer biocomposites or nanocomposites (nanoparticles). The aim of this Special Issue is to popularise the theme of “Biopolymers” from novel sources of microorganisms.

Dr. Aparna Banerjee
Dr. Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas
Dr. Ashok Kumar Nadda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microbial biopolymers
  • microbial polysaccharides
  • bacterial exopolysaccharides
  • polyhydroxyalkanoates
  • polyphosphates
  • polylactic acids
  • biopolymers
  • food industry
  • food packaging
  • food processing
  • food additives
  • antimicrobials
  • wastewater treatment
  • circular bioeconomy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 3772 KiB  
Article
Molecular Characterization and Biocompatibility of Exopolysaccharide Produced by Moderately Halophilic Bacterium Virgibacillus dokdonensis from the Saltern of Kumta Coast
by Monic Andrew and Gurunathan Jayaraman
Polymers 2022, 14(19), 3986; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14193986 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1922
Abstract
The use of natural polysaccharides as biomaterials is gaining importance in tissue engineering due to their inherent biocompatibility. In this direction, the present study aims to explore the structure and biocompatibility of the EPS produced by Virgibacillus dokdonensis VITP14. This marine bacterium produces [...] Read more.
The use of natural polysaccharides as biomaterials is gaining importance in tissue engineering due to their inherent biocompatibility. In this direction, the present study aims to explore the structure and biocompatibility of the EPS produced by Virgibacillus dokdonensis VITP14. This marine bacterium produces 17.3 g/L of EPS at 96 h of fermentation. The EPS was purified using ion exchange and gel permeation chromatographic methods. The porous web-like structure and elemental composition (C, O, Na, Mg, P, S) of the EPS were inferred from SEM and EDX analysis. AFM analysis revealed spike-like lumps with a surface roughness of 84.85 nm. The zeta potential value of −10 mV indicates the anionic nature of the EPS. Initial molecular characterization showed that the EPS is a heteropolysaccharide composed of glucose (25.8%), ribose (18.6%), fructose (31.5%), and xylose (24%), which are the monosaccharide units in the HPLC analysis. The FTIR spectrum indicates the presence of functional groups/bonds typical of EPSs (O-H, C-H, C-O-H, C-O, S=O, and P=O). The polymer has an average molecular weight of 555 kDa. Further, NMR analysis revealed the monomer composition, the existence of two α- and six β-glycosidic linkages, and the branched repeating unit as → 1)[α-D-Xylp-(1 → 2)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 6)-β-D-Glcp-(1 → 5)]-β-D-Frup-(2 → 2)[β-D-Xylp-(1 → 4)]-β-D-Xylp-(1 → 6)-β-D-Fruf-(2 → 4)-β-D-Ribp-(1 →. The EPS is thermally stable till 251.4 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the semicrystalline (54.2%) nature of the EPS. Further, the EPS exhibits significant water solubility (76.5%), water-holding capacity (266.8%), emulsifying index (66.8%), hemocompatibility (erythrocyte protection > 87%), and cytocompatibility (cell viability > 80% on RAW264.7 and keratinocyte HaCaT cells) at higher concentrations and prolongs coagulation time in APTT and PT tests. Our research unveils the significant biocompatibility of VITP14 EPS for synthesizing a variety of biomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Biopolymers)
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11 pages, 1721 KiB  
Article
Dextran-Based Edible Coatings to Prolong the Shelf Life of Blueberries
by Slađana Davidović, Miona Miljković, Milan Gordic, Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas, Aleksandra Nesic and Suzana Dimitrijević-Branković
Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13234252 - 04 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2371
Abstract
The development of edible films and coatings in the food packaging industry presents one of the modern strategies for protecting food products and ensuring their freshness and quality during their shelf lives. The application of microbial polysaccharides to the development of food package [...] Read more.
The development of edible films and coatings in the food packaging industry presents one of the modern strategies for protecting food products and ensuring their freshness and quality during their shelf lives. The application of microbial polysaccharides to the development of food package materials, as an alternative option to the commonly used plastic materials, is both economic and environmentally favorable. New edible films were developed using dextran from lactic acid bacterium Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3, and additionally plasticized by different concentrations of polyglycerol. The best tensile strength of the films was obtained using a formulation that contained 10 wt% of polyglycerol, which corresponded to a value of 4.6 MPa. The most flexible formulation, with elongation at break of 602%, was obtained with 30 wt% of polyglycerol. Water vapor permeability values of the films synthesized in this study were in the range of (3.45–8.81) ∗ 10−12 g/m s Pa. Such low values indicated that they could be efficient in preventing fruit from drying out during storage. Thus, the film formulations were used to coat blueberries in order to assess their quality during a storage time of 21 days at 8 °C. The results showed that dextran/polyglycerol films could be efficient in extending the shelf life of blueberries, which was evidenced by lower weight loss and total sugar solids values, as well as a delay in titratable acidity, in comparison to the uncoated blueberries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Biopolymers)
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