Award details

Improving xanthan gum production

Reference	BB/E527204/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Bettina Wolf
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Nottingham
Department	Sch of Biosciences
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	89,792
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/07/2007
End date	30/09/2008
Duration	15 months

Abstract

unavailable

Summary

Xanthan gum is one of the world's most widely used hydrocolloids. A BBSRC CASE project has discovered that with certain polyelectrolytes, xanthan solutions exhibit dramatic phase separation, resulting in a liquid crystalline xanthan-rich domain and a substantial viscosity drop. This project aims to show that this discovery can improve the xanthan production process by:- (a) Increasing the limiting xanthan concentration in the fermentation process. (b) Providing an environmentally acceptable alternative to solvent to solvent recovery of product. (c) Combining this approach with the use of an oscillatory baffled bioreactor. We wish to demonstrate proof of principle, backed by a patent application before continuing discussions with a major xanthan producers. The CASE sponsor has filed a patent on other aspects of the original work, but we have been advised that we can protect inventions relating to the fermentation process. The work will combine existing expertise at the Universities of Nottingham and Strathclyde.

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Follow-On Fund (FOF) [2004-2015]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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