Bacterial Exopolysaccharides: Production, Characterization and Formulation of Innovative Materials for High-Value Applications
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2023) | Viewed by 5734
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food microbiology; molecular biology; biotechnology; biopolymer; bacterial cellulose; environmental microbiology; acetic acid bacteria; genomics; transcriptomics
Interests: foods and beverages fermentation; acetic acid bacteria; biopolymers; bacterial cellulose; valorization of agro-industrial wastes via fermentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biopolymers; medical textiles; modification and compounding of nanocellulose of bacterial and plant origin; microstructure; scaffolds; membranes; biomaterials for medicine; composite membranes for fuel cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The research of naturally produced polymers for high-value applications, such as biomedical, cosmetics, nutrition, etc., is currently an attractive topic. Bacteria are the main cell factories for producing exopolysaccharides as a principal component of the biofilm matrix. The production of bacterial exopolysaccharides is based on the ability of bacteria in the conversion of a wide range of carbon sources in a large variety of biopolymers, such as cellulose, alginate, hyaluronate, levan and dextran. Exopolysaccharides produced by bacteria are receiving more attention thanks to their unique properties, such as high purity and biocompatibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications in many fields, ranging from biomedical, such as nutritional, cosmetics, regenerative medicine, to environmental and food applications. The development of bacterial exopolysaccharides and their in situ/ex situ modification strategies, including synthetic biology, are continuously evolving, allowing the formulation of new tailor-made bio-based materials for high-value products.
In this context, the aim of this Special Issue is to explore new advances and challenges in bacterial exopolysaccharide-based materials, focusing on the following topics:
- Bacterial exopolysaccharides production: description of bacterial species and biological mechanisms for biopolymer production; optimization of culture conditions; formulation of alternative media;
- Formulation of new bio-based materials: advances in methodologies and strategies for bacterial biopolymer modification using conventional (i.e., in situ or ex situ modification) or innovative approaches (i.e., genetic engineering);
- Characterization towards specific application niche: chemical-physical, morphological and mechanical characterization, and biocompatibility.
Dr. Salvatore La China
Dr. Maria Gullo
Dr. Selestina Gorgieva
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- bacterial exopolysaccharides
- carbon source
- nanocellulose
- nanocomposite
- bio-based materials
- modification
- synthetic biology
- biocompatibility