Polysaccharide produced by the genus Pullularia. I. Production of polysaccharide by growing cells.

A dextranlike polysaccharide was found to be produced on substrates of sucrose, maltose, glucose, and fructose by growing cells of various strains of the genus Pullularia. The polysaccharide, obtainable in amounts as large as 2 to 3 g per 100 ml of culture medium using various carbohydrates as the carbon source, was soluble in cold water but not in 50% alcohol. The polysaccharide obtained had a alpha(d) = +197.5 degrees (c = 0.2 in water), and its molecular weight, determined by the light-scattering method, was found to be approximately 250,000.