Biopolymer from Water Kefir as a Potential Clean-Label Ingredient for Health Applications: Evaluation of New Properties

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 12; p. 3895
• Main Authors: Lucena, Monalisa de Alencar, Ramos, Igor Frederico da Silveira, Geronço, Maurycyo Silva, de Araújo, Ricardo, da Silva Filho, Francisco Lopes, da Silva, Luís Manuel Lopes Rodrigues, de Sousa, Rayran Walter Ramos, Ferreira, Paulo Michel Pinheiro, Osajima, Josy Anteveli, Silva-Filho, Edson Cavalcanti, Rizzo, Márcia Dos Santos, Ribeiro, Alessandra Braga, da Costa, Marcilia Pinheiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.06.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibacterial activity; antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Biocompatibility; Biological properties; Biomedical materials; biopolymer; Biopolymers; dextran; Drug delivery systems; Escherichia coli; Exopolysaccharides; Fermentation; Gas chromatography; Glycerol; Grain growth; Hydrogels; Kefir; Kefir - microbiology; Microorganisms; Monosaccharides; mucoadhesiveness; Phase transitions; Photodegradation; photostability; Polymers; polysaccharide; Probiotics; Raw materials; Stability analysis; Sucrose; Thermal degradation; Thermal stability; Water; dextran; biopolymer; antimicrobial activity; polysaccharide; photostability; mucoadhesiveness
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123895

The present work aimed to characterize the exopolysaccharide obtained from water kefir grains (EPSwk), a symbiotic association of probiotic microorganisms. New findings of the technological, mechanical, and biological properties of the sample were studied. The EPSwk polymer presented an Mw of 6.35 × 10 Da. The biopolymer also showed microcrystalline structure and characteristic thermal stability with maximum thermal degradation at 250 °C. The analysis of the monosaccharides of the EPSwk by gas chromatography demonstrated that the material is composed of glucose units (98 mol%). Additionally, EPSwk exhibited excellent emulsifying properties, film-forming ability, a low photodegradation rate (3.8%), and good mucoadhesive properties (adhesion Fmax of 1.065 N). EPSwk presented cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results of this study expand the potential application of the exopolysaccharide from water kefir as a potential clean-label raw material for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and cosmetic applications.