Xanthan Gum : Fermentation of Xanthomonas Campestris

Abstract: Xanthan gum is one of the most common thickening agents used worldwide.The industrial manufacturing process of xanthan gum uses cheap, carbohydrate rich mediums for fermentation of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. The objective of this study was to compare different fermentation mediums based on grain powder for small scale fermentation of Xanthomonas campestris. Culture mediums containing wheat or cornstarch and the less allergen prone medium containing potato starch and oat flour were investigated. All four fermentation mediums of this study showed signs of thickening, indicating the presence of alive and growing Xanthamonas campetris. Based on the growth on MacConkey and NA-agar plates, all four fermentation products showed the presence of bacteria. The fermentation product from  a culture medium containing both potato starch and oat flour showed a higher concentration of bacteria compared to a culture medium containing wheat flour or cornstarch. The fermentation product in the presence of oat flour showed more than 100 times higher bacterial concentration in the fermentation product compared to wheat flour. Data suggests that potato starch and oat flour fermentation performed better than wheat flour and cornstarch and these less allergen prone mediums can be used as an alternative for fermentation of Xanthamonas campetris in the production of xanthan gum.