Genetic diversity of exopolysaccharides from acetic acid bacteria isolates originating from apple cider vinegars

Abstract

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) produce acetic acid but are also gaining importance as safe microorganisms for producing extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs). The best-known homopolysaccharides among them are cellulose and levan. In addition, acetic acid bacteria also produce heteropolysaccharides, water-soluble acetans. Isolates from the broth of organic and conventional apple cider vinegar production were screened for biofilm production. Phenotypic and genomic diversity of EPS-producing isolates was assessed. The diversity of phenotypically different EPSs of apple cider vinegar isolates was investigated at the gene level for the following novel strains: Komagataeibacter (K.) melomenusus SI3083, K. oboediens SI3053, K. pomaceti SI3133, and Gluconacetobacter (Ga.) entanii SI2084. Strain K. melomenusus SI3083 possesses cellulose operons bcs1, bcs2, and bcs4 together with the type I acetan cluster in the absence of the levan operon, strain K. oboediens SI3053 has the operons bcs1, bcs2, bcs3, and bcs4, the levan operon, and the acetan cluster (type I), and the strains K. pomaceti SI3133 and Ga. entanii SI2084 both contain recently described novel ace-type II cluster in addition to the incomplete operon bcs1. A comparison of the genetic diversity of these EPSs to those of the reference strains suggests that the studied EPSs are not species-descriptive. The results of this study deepen our understanding of the genetic variability of the EPS genes in AAB, thereby enabling us to better characterize and exploit the various insoluble and soluble exopolysaccharides produced by AAB for biotechnological applications in the future