Isolation and characterization of a new extracellular polysaccharide from a cellulose-negative strain of Acetobacter xylinum.

An extracellular, acidic polysaccharide has been isolated from the culture medium of a spontaneous cellulose-negative strain of Acetobacter xylinum. Chemical analysis shows that the polymer is composed of glucose, mannose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid in a molar ratio approximating 3:1:1:1. No evidence for the presence of cellobiose units as structural parts in the polysaccharide has been found.