Abstract:
Dextrans are a class of homopolysaccharides composed of D-(1D6) glycosidic linkages in the main chains and D-(1D2), D-(1D3) and D-(1D4) branched glycosidic linkages. Dextrans may be linear or branched, with variable degree of branching. Dextran are used as food syrup stabilizers, matrix of chromatography columns, plasma substitute, anti-thrombogenic agent, biomaterials, paper and metal-plating processes, oil recovery. Porous dextran scaffolds have tissue engineering applications as drug delivery vehicles. Dextran derivatives as oligosaccharides have profound applications as neutraceuticals, prebiotics, immune stimulatory and anti cancer agents. Functionality of dextran depends on the strain of lactic acid bacteria synthesizing it. Dextran producing lactic acid bacteria have recently attracted much attention due to immense industrial potential of dextrans. The commonly known dextran producing lactic acid bacteria are Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc and Streptococcus. Biodiversity hotspots are promising niches for isolating commercially important strains of dextran producing lactic acid bacteria. North-East region, falling under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot is expected to harbour such novel strains. With this objective, a high dextransucrase yielding strain of lactic acid bacterium was isolated from the soil collected from a place near Guwahati. 16s rRNA sequencing identified the isolate to be Pediococcus pentosaceus, belonging to lactic acid bacteria family. Certain strains of Pediococcus genus are industrially important as potent food preservatives for their pediocin production ability. But, the dextran production aspect of this genus has never been explored or reported before. This work, reports for the first time, the dextran...
