Comparative evaluation of in situ and ex-situ iron-complexing ability of exopolysaccharides producing lactic acid bacteria in whey medium

Abstract The present study investigated the iron-binding ability of exopolysaccharides (EPS) producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a whole-cell in comparison with its extracted crude EPS. A total of eight EPS producing LAB strains and four iron salts were tested for in-situ iron complex formation in whey as a basal culture medium. Among the four iron salts, ferrous sulphate showed maximum complexation with all the LAB strains. Amongst eight EPS producing LAB strains, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Kar1 showed significantly higher (P