Study of characterization of the Spatial Configuration of Microbial Products in Aqueous Solution by Laser Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0164-YJL)

Introduction

Microbial products, including extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP, or soluble EPS), are high-molecular weight compounds excreted by the microorganisms grown in suspended cultures or microbial aggregates, such as biofilm, flocs, and granular. EPS are the polymeric substances located at or outside the cell surface, while SMP are the soluble cellular polymeric components dissolved in aqueous solution, irrespective of their origins. The composition of microbial products can be controlled by different metabolisms, chemical, and physical processes: EPS may come from active secretion of living cells, shedding of cell surface material, death and lysis of cells, and adsorption from the environment, while SMP are released during microbial metabolism, cell lysis, and EPS hydrolysis. The structural characteristics can help better understand the relationship between the microscopic structure of microbial products and their macroscopic properties (e.g., adsorption, flocculation, and adhesion).