Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of ulvan-like polymer obtained by regioselective oxidation of gellan exopolysaccharide.

Gellan is an exopolysaccharide produced in high yield by the non-pathogenic bacterium Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461. In this study, four carboxylated derivatives of gellan (OG-1, OG-2, OG-3 and OG-4) with different uronics acid content were prepared using the TEMPO (nitroxyl radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) mediated oxidation and their antioxidant activities were investigated including scavenging activity of hydroxyl, superoxide anion and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radicals. The results of chemical analysis and (13)C NMR spectrums indicated that the modification was successful.

Exopolysaccharide production by nitrogen-fixing bacteria within nodules of Medicago plants exposed to chronic radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from root nodules of Medicago plants growing in the 10 km zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were screened for the production of new water-soluble acidic exopolysaccharides (EPSs). The different strains belonged to the Enteriobacteriaceae family (Enterobacter ludwigii, Raoultella terrigena, Klebsiella oxytoca), except for one which belonged to the Rhizobiaceae family (Sinorhizobium meliloti). All of the bacteria produced highly viscous EPS with an average molecular weight comprised between 1 x 10(6) and 3 x 10(6) Da.