IGEM:IMPERIAL/2009/Encapsulation/Phase2/Xanthan Gum
Xantham Gum for another encapsulation option
General
Food thickening agent
- approved by FDA back in 1965
- well characterised
Structure
Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris is a plant- pathogenic bacterium that produces the exopolysaccharide xantham gum.
Biosynthesis
similar to E.coli up till the GDP-Mannose stage.
Encapsulation
no papers were found for encapsulation by itself.
all (3 papers) have been complexing with chitosan to form polyelectrolyte complex.
Xanthan-chitosan PEC gels were studied as microcarriers mostly for encapsulation of enzymes and the studies on the
applicability of the system for bacterial cells are scarce [1]
The cell release in SGF at pH 2.0 was negligible suggesting that xanthan-chitosan capsules have a good potential for delivery of probiotic cells to intestines.[1]
Results indicated that probiotic bacteria encapsulated in alginate, xanthan gum, and carrageenan gum survived better (P < 0.05) than free probiotic bacteria, under acidic conditions [2]
