Optimisation, characterization, and biological evaluation of novel exopolysaccharide from Bacillus licheniformis (BITSL006)

AbstractThe study investigated production, characterisation, and biological properties of exopolysaccharide (EPS) from a thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis using sucrose as a main carbon source at a temperature of 75 °C, resulting in a yield of 2.87 g/L. The surface topology of EPS was determined using FESEM indicating its porous nature. Subsequently, FTIR was employed to examine EPS and identified the presence of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, which are believed to be associated with water-holding capacity (WHC). Comparing the FTIR spectrum of various exopolysaccharides, it was inferred that the exopolysaccharide derived from Ramkund closely resembles dextran. EDX and ICP-MS analysis revealed the presence of Sulphur and Selenium which might be involved in the anticancer properties of EPS. This is the first report on bacterial EPS from a hot spring (Ram kund) with antioxidant property, WHC, and high solubility. These properties offer beneficial resources for exploration in the pharmaceutical and agriculture industries.Keywords: ThermophileBacillus licheniformisexopolysaccharidethermostabilityantioxidantwater holding capacity AcknowledgementsThe authors are thankful to Birla Institute of Technology for providing lab facilities and central instrumentation facility for technical assistance. The author would also like to thank NFST (National Fellowship for Scheduled Tribes for Higher Education), funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India for financial support.Author contributionsUL: methodology, investigation, writing-original draft, review, and editing; VLSM: investigation, writing-introduction; VKN: project administration, supervision; SRS: project administration, supervision.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis research was financially supported by NFST (National Fellowship for Schedule Tribe for Higher Education) funded by Ministry of Tribal Affair, Government of India (Award No. 202021-NFST-JHA-01759).