ABSTRACT
Gellan gum is a bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) of the “sphin-
gans” family, a group of structurally related EPS secreted by
members of the genus Sphingomonas.
Gellan is a multifunctional gelling agent based on a tetrasac-
charide repeating unit composed of two molecules of D-glucose,
one of L-rhamnose and one of D-glucuronic acid; in its native form,
gellan is partially esterified with acyl substituents. Due to its unique
characteristics, gellan gum is used for a great variety of applications,
particularly in the fields of food, pharmaceutics, and biomedicine.
