TITLE:
Exopolysaccharides Produced from Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
AUTHORS:
Junko Nishimura
KEYWORDS:
Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Exopolysaccharide, Probiotics, EPS Synthesis, Carbohydrate Metabolism
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.14,
October
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: Lactobacillus
delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, which has
been widely used as a fermented milk starter, is a type of probiotic, and certain strains are able
to produce exopolysaccharide (EPS). EPS produced from L. bulgaricus contributes to the physical and biological function
of dairy products by regulating immune response, and this tendency seems to place
EPS with acidic groups. To date, six types of chemical structure have been
determined and are basically composed from glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), and
rhamnose (Rha). Eps clusters on
chromosome DNA control the EPS synthesis and are transcribed as one mRNA 14
genes with 18kb on L. bulgaricus Lfi5. Furthermore, L. bulgaricus is
able to utilize lactose (Lac) as carbohydrate source, repeating units of EPS
are synthesized from Glc 6-phosphate, generated by an Embden-Meyerhof (EM)
pathway in cellular carbohydrate assimilation. This review discusses EPS
produced from L. bulgaricus.