Cryoprotective properties of exopolysaccharide (P-21653) produced by the Antarctic bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas arctica KOPRI 21653.

Twenty-five bacterial strains that secrete mucous materials were isolated from sediment obtained from King George Island, Antarctica. Seven of these strains proved capable of producing cryoprotective exopolysaccharides. The strain KOPRI 21653 was selected for the further study of an anti-ice-nucleating polysaccharide (ANP), which originated from a polar region. KOPRI 21653 was identified as Pseudoalteromonas arctica as the result of 16S rRNA analysis. The exopolysaccharide, P-21653, was purified completely from the KOPRI 21653 cell culture via column chromatography and protease treatment. The principal sugar components of P-21653 were determined to be galactose and glucose, at a ratio of 1:1.5, via GC-MS analysis. The cryoprotective activity of P-21653 was characterized via an E. coli viability test. In the presence of 0.1% (w/v) P-21653, the survival ratio of E. coli cells was as high as 82.6% over three repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The survival ratio decreased drastically to 71.5 and 48.1%, respectively, in five and seven repeated cycle conditions; however, the survival ratios were greater over three (96.6-92.1%) to seven (100.5-91.6%) freeze-thaw cycles in the presence of 0.5 and 1.0% (w/v) P-21653. In addition, at much lower concentrations (0.1-1.0%), P-21653 resulted in survival ratios (83.1-98.4%) similar to those of two commercially available cryoprotectants (VEG plus X-1000, 92.9% and VM3, 95.3%), which were utilized at the recommended concentrations (90%). The biochemical characteristics of exopolysaccharide P-21653 reflect that this compound may be developed as a useful cryoprotectant for use in medical applications and in the food industry.