Abstract:
Nutrient assimilation profiles of Aureobasidium pullulans NRRL 58539 and NRRL 58543, both are non-pullulan exopolysaccharide (NP-EPS) producing strains, were similar to one another and also to that of the pullulan-producing reference strain, A. pullulans NRRL 58560. All 3 strains could assimilate methyl-α-D-glucoside and lactose as the sole carbon source. For nucleotide sequence analysis, 3 loci including Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Large Subunit Ribosomal DNA gene (LSU) and Elongase gene (ELO) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The ITS PCR products of A. pullulans NRRL 58539 and NRRL 58543 were 1,293 and 1,076 bp long, respectively, and they were identical to those previously reported. The LSU PCR products were 841 and 670 bp long, respectively, and their nucleotide sequences were similar to those of Aureobasidium sp. HB110 and A. pullulans isolate Z-19 with 99 and 87% nucleotide sequence identity, respectively. However, the ELO locus was failed to be amplified. For enzyme sensivity test, both NP-ESPs from NRRL 58539 and NRRL 58543 were found to be sensitive to β-glucanase digestion, but resistant to α-bond hydrolyzing enzymes such as pullulanase, amylase and glucoamylase which were similar to aubasidan. The structural analysis using FT-IR and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR also suggested that both NP-EPSs were an aubasidan-like β-glucan. For the optimal condition for the NP-EPS production by A. pullulans NRRL 58543, the maximal yield at 14.72 ± 0.03 g/L, 6.06-fold higher than that of the unmodified condition, was obtained from the production medium containing 6% (w/v) sucrose 0.06% (w/v) sodium nitrate, with initial pH at 7.5, incubation temperature at 25°C and 9-day production period. Moreover, the NP-EPS was found to enhance the growth of 2 probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei, up to 6.90- and 5.10fold, respectively. When it was incorporated into pullulan film, the addition of NP-EPS trended to decrease the tensile strength, elongation and solubility of the film.