Effect of the initial glycerol concentration in the medium on the xanthan biosynthesis

Abstract

This study is concerned with the effect of different initial glycerol concentrations in the medium on xanthan production by Xanthomonas campestris ATCC 13951. Xanthan biosynthesis was carried out in batch mode under aerobic conditions at a temperature of 30°C and agitation rate of 150 rpm for 7 days. The process efficiency was estimated based on the values of raw xanthan yield, average molecular weight of the polymer and residual content of glycerol, total nitrogen and phosphorus. Based on these results, the initial concentration of glycerol as a carbon source in the production medium was suggested. In the applied experimental conditions, high raw xanthan yield (12.15 g/l) of good quality (Mw = 2.86·105 g/mol) and the lowest amount of residual nutrients (glycerol 2.75 g/l, nitrogen 0.46 g/l and phosphorus 0.67 g/l) was achieved in the medium with the initial glycerol content of 20 g/l. The obtained results are the basis for optimization of xanthan production on glycerol containing media in order to increase the product yield and quality.