Structural and Functional Properties, Biosynthesis, and Patenting Trends of Bacterial Succinoglycan: A Review

The exopolysaccharide succinoglycan is produced mainly by a large number of soil microbes of Agrobacterium, Rhizobium or Pseudomonas genera etc. Structural properties of succinoglycan are unique in terms of its thermal stability and superior viscosifying property. Unlike the other highly commercialized bacterial exopolysaccharides like dextran or xanthan, mass scale application of succinoglycan has not been that much broadly explored yet. Bacterial succinoglycan is found suitable as a viscosifying and emulsifying agent in food industry, in gravel packing or fluid-loss control agent etc. In this present review, the key aspects of succinoglycan study, in particular, developments in structural characterizations, exo/exs operon system involved in biosynthesis pathway, commercial applications in food and other industries and patenting trends have been discussed.