Abstract
A screening was performed to isolate exoploysaccharide-producing microorganisms, which synthesized specific exopolysaccharide for the substitutive of commercial polysaccharides, from natural sources. Soil bacterium, one of 378 mucoid isolates, was finally selected as potential producer of polysaccharides which made the culture broth very viscous and thus examined in detail for optimal medium composition. Isolated strain was identified as Xanthomonas sp. EPS- 1 from the results of morphological and biochemical characteristics. The composition of optimal medium for exopolysaccharide production was as follows: 50 g sucrose, 1.5 g peptone, 2 g KH$_{2}$PO$_{4}$, 2 g MgSO$_{4}$, -7H$_{2}$O, 3 g NaCl, 0.05 g CaCO$_{3}$, 0.07 g FeSO$_{4}$-7H$_{2}$O and 0.05 g MnSO$_{4}$-7H$_{2}$O in 1 liter of distilled water. From the experiments of temperature and pH dependence, the optimal conditions for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis seemed to be 30$\circ$C and 8.0, respectively. About 14.9 gram of maximum exopolysaccharide per liter was obtained at the initial pH 8.0, 30$\circ$C and 250 rpm in a flask culture. The exopolysaccharide EPS-1 had such potential as an emulsifying agent and a gelling agent in comparision with commercial exopolysaccharide.