• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.104-106
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• 2008

Enterobacter sp. BL-2 excretively produced a unique cationic polyglucosamine biopolymer PGB-1 comprised of more than 95% D-glucosamine in an acetate-mediated culture condition. The excretion of the biopolymer PGB-1 was closely associated with the cellular morphology of Enterobacter sp. BL-2, a feature highly dependable on the pH of the medium. The initially formed uneven and irregular surface cells were aggregated into the cell-biopolymer network structure connected by the adhesion modules of the cell-bound biopolymer. The excretive production of the biopolymer PGB-1 coincided with the disruption of the cell-biopolymer network, most actively at the medium pH of 8.0.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.626-632
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• 2005

A new bacterium BL-2 excreting a novel cationic polyglucosamine biopolymer was isolated from the spoiled leaves of Chinese cabbage and identified as Enterobacter sp. BL-2. The isolated Enterobacter sp. BL-2 was cultivated in pH-stat fed-batch culture using acetic acid as the feeding stock at pH 8.0, resulting in 17.11 g/l of cells and 1.53 g/l of an extracellular biopolymer after 72 h. The excreted biopolymer was purified by a three-step procedure, involving ethanol precipitation and deproteinizations, to a nearly homogeneous state, and its molecular weight was found to be 106 kDa. It was composed of glucosamine, rhamnose, and galactose at a molar ratio of 86.4:1.6:1.0, respectively, indicating a rarely found novel high-glucosamine-containing biopolymer. The FT-IR and $^{13}C-NMR$ spectra of the novel cationic polyglucosamine biopolymer PGB-l revealed a close identity with chitosan from crab shell. It can effectively flocculate various suspended solids, including kaolin clay, $Ca(OH)_2,\;Al_{2}O_3$, active carbon, microbial cells, and acidic dyes.