Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce a wide variety of
exopolysaccharides (EPS) and oligosaccharides that have immense food
applications. EPS can be used as prebiotics. Prebiotics are food ingredientsthat cannot be digested other than by some specific bacteria and are involvedin selectively stimulating the growth of probiotics to benefit the health ofthe host. Oligosaccharides are carbohydrate polymers of monomeric residues with
degrees of polymerization (DP) between 2 and 10 linked by O-glycosidic bonds they
can also be the degradation product of their related EPS.
LABs have aroused interest for their ability to secrete
extracellular polysaccharides which are either associated with the cell surfacein the form of capsules (Capsular exopolysaccharides) or secreted into the
extracellular environment in the form of slime (Slimy exopolysaccharide).
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