Harnessing an extremophile’s bioactive compound for industrial applications
A bioactive compound produced by an extremophilic bacterium has potential industrial applications.
An international collaboration of researchers has isolated a bioactive compound in extremophilic bacteria from a hot spring in the Andes. Harnessing this compound could be used to develop natural additives for the pharmaceutical and food industries, thanks to its advantageous physiochemical properties.
Extremophiles are bacteria that live and thrive in inhospitable environments, including high-temperature, high-acidity and metal-rich environments. Residing in the previously unexplored Medano hot spring in Chile in the Andes, the Med1 strain of Pseudomonas alcaligenes is a bacterium that thrives in extreme heat (93–111°F) and acidity conditions. It can withstand these conditions because it produces a biofilm containing extracellular carbohydrate polymers called exopolysaccharides (EPSs), which are involved in microbial adhesion, structure, protection and physiology.
EPSs have previously been identified for their potential industrial applications, as demand for natural bioactive compounds over synthetic compounds has grown. Additionally, it’s been found that natural compounds have advantages over plant-derived polysaccharides, including having biological activities such as antiviral, antitumor, immunoregulatory, antioxidant, aggregatory and emulsifying effects. Although EPSs have previously been identified for their potential industrial applications, more research is needed to understand how they work. That’s why the current team set out to investigate a novel EPS produced by thermostable P. alcaligenes.
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The recent study consisted of two parts. The first step was to isolate P. alcaligenes from a water sample taken from Medano hot spring. Next, the bacterium’s genomic DNA was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore’s single molecule real-time sequencing technology and then experiments were conducted to determine EPS production at a high temperature to confirm its thermotolerance.
The second part of the study called for physical, chemical and functional characterization of the EPS using techniques ranging from atomic force microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography to nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography, with a clear focus on its technological application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
“The study concluded that the EPS produced by P. alcaligenes Med1 has unique structural properties and thermal stability, as well as exhibiting significant antioxidant, emulsification and flocculation activity, making it suitable for potential applications by the food and pharmaceutical industries as a natural additive,” reported João Paulo Fabi, co-author of the study and a professor in the Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition at the University of São Paulo’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Brazil).
The EPS structural data extracted from genome sequencing and analytical studies of this bacterium demonstrates its potential as a natural alternative to synthetic and plant-derived additives, which could be used in food-processing, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries. However, more research is needed to propel this natural additive into commercial use.
