An Anionic Polymer Incorporating Low Amounts of Hydrophobic Residues Is a Multifunctional Surfactant. Part 1: Emulsifying, Thickening, Moisture-Absorption and Moisture-Retention Abilities of a Fatty Acid-Containing Anionic Polysaccharide

We have been studying the function and structure of fatty acid-containing extracellular polysaccharides (FACEPS) produced by bacteria belonging to the genus Rhodococcus. In this study, we examined the relationships between the structure and emulsifying, thickening, moisture-absorption, and moisture-retention capabilities of rhodococcal FACEPS using S-2 EPS produced by R. rhodochrous strain S-2. We prepared chemically deacylated S-2 EPS (DeAcyl S-2 EPS) and palmitoylated DeAcyl S-2 EPS (ReAcyl S-2 EPS), and compared them with native S-2 EPS. All of the properties were attenuated and recovered by deacylation and reacylation of S-2 EPS, respectively. These results suggest that the fatty acid moiety of rhodococcal FACEPS is involved in such functional properties. We also showed that palmitoylation improved the emulsifying, moisture-absorption, and moisture-retention abilities of other acidic polysaccharides that are commercially available. These results suggest that the acidity of the polysaccharide backbone is at least partly responsible for the observed functionality of fatty acid-containing polysaccharides. To our knowledge, this is the first report on multifunctional property of an anionic polymer incorporating low Corresponding author.