ABSTRACT
The generation of agro-industrial waste has become a global concern as agricultural and industrial processes are growing at a fast pace. The by-products (like molasses, cheese whey, corn steep liquor, etc.) generated from agro-industries have been considered as a suitable feedstock for microbial fermentation to produce a variety of exopolysaccharides like xanthan, pullulan, gellan, levan, etc. Utilization of microbial sources for the production of exopolysaccharides using cheap fermentation substrates can be an eco-friendly and economical solution. This may not only help in the effective management of agro-industrial by-products but also compensate for the primary costs of biopolymer production. The useful physicochemical and rheological properties as well as diverse functionality of obtained exopolysaccharides are of commercial importance and hold various applications in food industries.
