الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
An important fermentation industry, the production of extracellular microbial water-soluble biopolymers, is now expanding rapidly. Several factors have accelerated the use of microbial biopolymers as well as the search for new sources of water-soluble biopolymers. Although hydrocolloides obtained from plants and seaweed have been used successfully for numerous applications in the food, textile, agriculture, paint, and petroleum industries. Limited sources, increasing labor costs, adverse climate conditions, and increased demands have resulted in a constant or dwindling supply of several of these traditionally used plant and seaweed biopolymers. Also industry has demands for water-soluble biopolymers that are not met by the traditional plant and seaweed biopolymers.
Extracellular biopolymers production is a widespread characteristics of microorganisms. Several of these biopolymers have proven to be commercially significant. The usefulness of some of these microbial biopolymers such as xanthan primarily results from its unique physical and chemical properties, which are determined by its individual component sugars and its mode of linkages. Its constant chemical properties and constant supply also increase its desirability. Other reasons for industry’s interest in microbial biopolymers are their diverse sources and types