Characterization of xanthan gum produced from glycerol by a mutant strain Xanthomonas campestris CCTCC M2015714

Xanthan gum was produced by a mutant strain X. campestris CCTCC M2015714 with glycerol as the sole carbon source. The monosaccharide composition and molar ratio of xanthan gum produced from glycerol are glucose: mannose: glucuronic acid = 2.0:1.65:1.0. Meanwhile, chemical structure of xanthan gum produced from glycerol is similar to that of the commercial xanthan through FT-IR and NMR. Remarkably, the molecular weight of xanthan gum produced using our method (3.0 ± 0.14 × 106 Da) is about half that of the commercial one (5.8 ± 0.25 × 106 Da), and the consistency index (K) of which is less than 1/10 that of the commercial xanthan. This work paves the way for xanthan production from glycerol and is useful for studying the structure/application of xanthan gum.