Bacterial polysaccharides

Bacterial polysaccharides appear since several decades as a new source of biodegradable water soluble polymers besides synthetic ones but also polysaccharides from algae and plants. Their specific properties are often linked to the regularity of their chemical structure which may lead to helical chain conformation in solutions. The presence of a helical conformation increases the stiffness of the chain and in some cases allows gel formation. Consequently these polymers are generally used for their viscous, viscoelastic and gelling properties in aqueous media, in many industrial domains.