Production of xanthan gum obtained from sugarcane

The xanthan gum is a heteroexopolysaccharide synthesized by Xanthomonas campestris in a culture medium using glucose or sucrose as carbon sources and other nutrients. Due to its rheological properties, it has been contributing for the range of applications in the food industry, pharmaceutical, and tertiary recovery of oil. Sugarcane is rich in nutrients (sugars and minerals) and can be used as a substratum for the xanthan production, which can be produced in Brazil due to its cost reduction. The objective of this study was to test the production of the xantana obtained with different culture native of Xanthomonas in medium composed of sugarcane broth (XSC) and to compare with the values obtained with sucrose (XS). Two medium cultures were used with the minimum of the nutrients, contained sucrose or sugar cane complemented with urea (0.01%) and K2HPO4 (0.1%), fermented in shaker (28 degrees C, 250 rpm, 120 hours). The best production was obtained using Xanthomonas campetris manihotis and sugarcane (33.54 g. L-1), approximately ten times bigger then obtained with the sucrose (3.45 g. L-1). The apparent viscosity for an aqueous solution of 2.0% of gum to 25 degrees C and 25 s(-1) was 99.36 mPa.s for XSC and 500.43 mPa.s to XS. The biosynthesis of xanthan starting from sugarcane deserves peculiar attention, constituting like this, a promising possibility for gum production in wide climbs.