Scleroglucan: Fermentative Production, Downstream Processing and Applications

Shrikant A. Survase, Parag S. Saudagar, Ishwar B. Bajaj and Rekha S. Singhal*

Food Engineering and Technology Department, Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai, Matunga, Mumbai 400 019, India

Article history:
Received April 11, 2006
Accepted November 6, 2006

Key words:
scleroglucan, exopolysaccharide, Sclerotium glucanicum, Sclerotium rolfsii, fermentation

Summary:
Exopolysaccharides produced by a variety of microorganisms find multifarious industrial applications in foods, pharmaceutical and other industries as emulsifiers, stabilizers, binders, gelling agents, lubricants, and thickening agents. One such exopolysaccharide is scleroglucan, produced by pure culture fermentation from filamentous fungi of genus Sclerotium. The review discusses the properties, fermentative production, downstream processing and applications of scleroglucan.

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