Biosynthesis of Xanthan Gum from Fermenting Potato Peels Extract: Influence of Sucrose Supplementation on Yield and Apparent Viscosity

Several residues and carbohydrate-rich effluents have been studied as a possible alternative in the substitution or implementation of the traditional cultivation medium of xanthan gum, helping in the management of these residues and, consequently, reducing fermentation costs. This work studied the extract obtained from potato peels for xanthan gum production by fermentation with or not sucrose supplementation. Xanthan gum yield ranged between 2-4 g L-1, and a linear relationship between the amount of added sucrose and gum produced was observed. In addition, the peak of gum production with higher viscosity was able to be anticipated with the sucrose supplementation, from 72 to 24 h (with the 5% of sucrose in comparison with the control condition). The maximum viscosity was 950 mPa.s, a result higher than many published papers that use residues as culture medium for xanthan production.