Exopolysaccharides from marine bacteria: production, recovery and applications

Ocean represents an unusual diversity of life. The largest proportion of microbial diversity has been found in the oceanic and terrestrial subsurface respectively. Marine habitats are inhabited by several microbial populations adapted to these ecosystems. Among these populations, bacteria are one of the important and dominant inhabitants of such environments. Marine bacteria themselves or their products such as enzymes, exopolymers, pigments, antimicrobial compounds, and biosurfactants represent a wide range of applications in food, textile, and pharmaceutical industries as well as in many environmental processes. This review aims to present the exopolysaccharide production from marine bacteria and its possible biosynthesis along with recovery of these polymers using various methods. Finally, the applications of these polymers, particularly in the field of bioremediation, are also discussed.