Postgraduate student from Altai State University developed a new bacterium that can make our life better

Sergey Pankratov, a postgraduate student at the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology at Altai State University, won the Student Startup competition. This victory comes with a grant of one million rubles to support his project focused on developing a new strain of microorganisms. These bacteria produce a substance that becomes a natural food stabilizer which can prolong the freshness of food products. The young scientist told altapress.ru about his project this and how it will be implemented.

Student Startup is a program implemented by the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations as part of the federal project titled University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform aimed at providing grant support for startup projects of students at Russian universities.

The what 

Sergey Pankratov's project is titled "Microorganisms-producers of xanthan gum". The goal of the startup was to find strains of microorganisms (Xanthomonas campestris) that produce a substance called "xanthan gum".

“One of the problems with the widespread use of producers is the low productivity of most known strains,” said the young scientist. “We plan to create a strain that will be highly effective.”

As a result, he and his team must create a new strain of bacteria, register it in the All-Russian Library of Microorganisms and patent the development.

The why

The target substance of the whole project is xanthan gum, which is a natural substance of microbial origin. It is also called xanthan. It is a carbohydrate obtained mainly from corn, less often from wheat or soy. It is produced by Xanthomonas campestris bacteria, which are naturally found on the leaves of some vegetables.

Xanthan gum consists of glucose, mannose (also a saccharide, often used to treat kidney and urinary tract disorders) and glucuronic acid (helps remove toxins from the body). It is a white powder obtained by drying and grinding a substance produced by bacteria.

This substance is an ingredient that promotes the formation of viscous suspensions and gels in water. It is used as a food additive, designated by the abbreviation E415.

Where to use?

According to Sergey Pankratov, xanthan can be used in various industries, such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, cosmetology, food, chemical and oil industry, agriculture and others.

In the food industry, it is used as an additive with stabilizing, emulsifying and thickening properties. It can play the role of a food stabilizer, including in sauces and dressings, as well as in frozen and chilled dairy products.

Moreover, xanthan has a beneficial effect on the creamy consistency of products and slows down the blackening of bread, extending its shelf life. The substance can increase the volume of dough and its moisture, improve the consistency of products. It is widely used in gluten-free products as a substitute for gluten.

In addition, xanthan gum can become an alternative to beef gelatin which is especially valuable for vegetarians and vegans. Xanthan is also readily used in dietary and high-protein products, as well as in products with reduced calorie content.

In the production of cosmetics, xanthan is used, for example, in bath liquids, shampoos, toothpastes or body lotions. In the pharmaceutical industry – in the production of drugs in the tablet form.

Sergey Pankratov admits: he had not been involved in biotechnology research before, but he always wanted to try:

“Initially, I applied for the "Umnik" program, but it did not succeed. I decided to try the "Student Startup", and it worked out!” the scientist recalls.

Sergey Smirnov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Director of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology at Altai State University inspired the young scientist to take up the topic. They finalized and discussed it with Maxim Kutsev and Mikhail Skaptsov, employees of the Altai State University Bioengineering Laboratory — their experience working with microorganisms was very helpful in working out the details.

Currently, as the author of the project explains, industrial biotechnology is the most promising area of ​​high-tech production.

Industrial biotechnology is a branch that combines chemistry, molecular biology and microbiology with applied sciences. It studies how microorganisms, cells, tissues and genes can be used to carry out various technological processes. This promising area of ​​research allows not only to transform and improve the characteristics of substances, but also to create new microorganisms with unique functions.

Biotechnology achievements bring economic and environmental benefits. This leads to its widespread use in almost every industry - from agriculture to oil refining.

As a result of Sergey Pankratov's project, a new strain of the Xanthomonas bacteria will be obtained, which in the future can be deposited in the All-Russian Library of Microorganisms. The young scientist intends to use it in the future for the industrial production of xanthan gum.

How the money will be used?

The project is currently at the stage of signing an agreement with the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises in Science and Technology. At the moment, the team has already worked with library samples of the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria. Three people are working on the research — specialists in working with biotechnological objects, DNA, and implementing grants.

The scope of work is not small — during the year provided for the use of the grant, scientists will have to search for a highly effective strain of the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria, as well as isolate and analyze DNA. Sergey Pankratov does not exclude that they will have time to work out the technology for reverse filtration of microorganisms.

The first part of the funds, one hundred thousand rubles from a million, will be given at the stage of registering a legal entity. After that, the funds will go to reagents, purchasing equipment and salaries for employees.

The team has already received a request for the research results from a pharmaceutical company from Krasnoyarsk. Employees of the bioengineering laboratory of Altai State University agreed to help implement the project.