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ABSTRACT
Microorganisms are ubiquitous. Different habitats are associated with a variety of environmental factors that suggest rich biodiversity. Many of them live in various ecological, extreme niches, producing exopolysaccharides (EPSs) as a defense mechanism in response to harsh environmental conditions. Exopolymers possess unique properties because of the diverse сrude habitats that generally characterize by atypical conditions as pH, salinity, temperatures, toxicity, pressure and radiation levels that stimulate the microbes to secret these substances. They offer a variety of structures due to the presence of different functional groups such as uronic acids, phosphate groups and sulfated units. The microorganisms, called extremophiles, are of significant biotechnological, medical, biomedical and ecological importance as their enzymes and exopolysaccharides possess properties that offer knowledge into their evolution, functional properties and biology. Their unique products can be transformed into valuable applications vary from wastewater treatment to the genetic diseases. This review present extremophilic microorganisms and their adaptation mechanisms that focus on the production of EPSs and their ecological function, physiological role for the cell, physicochemical properties and different applications. The remarkable versatility and efficacy of these extremophile-derived biopolymers offer novel opportunities for innovation and development in the industrial and biotechnological sectors.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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Nadja Radchenkova
Nadja Radchenkova PhD., is Associate Professor in the Departament of General Microbiology at The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her research includes extremophilic microorganisms (thermophiles and halophiles), identification, exopolymers of microbial origin, physicochemical properties of synthesysed polymers, applications, fermentation bioprocesses,coefficient mass transfer. Not a small part of her work is devoted to thermostable enzymes with a focus on multifunctional apps. The author`s latest scientific quests are related to psychrophilic, psychrotolerant and mesophilic yeasts and their secondary metabolites
Snezhana Rusinova-Videva
Snezhana Rusinova-Videva PhD., is a Senior Assistant Professor in the Laboratory of Cellular Biosystems et The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She works in the field of biotechnology with Antarctic microorgaisms. She studies extracellular polysaccharides es emulsifiers and biosorbents as well as their immunological activities.