Zoogloea ramigera 115 synthesized large amounts of matrix polymer from fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, mannose, soluble starch, and sucrose when these carbohydrates were used as supplements to a chemically defined medium. All of them supported polymer synthesis to the extent that cultures thickened to a gel. Concentration of carbohydrate nutrients in the range 0.5 to 2.0% was not a critical factor in determining eventual total thickening to a gel, except in relation to the incubation time required. Glucose disappeared from the growth medium rapidly and correlated with increasing cell growth and poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation. PHB concentration decreased as extracellular polymer was synthesized, suggesting a link between PHB and extracellular polymer production.
展开▼
