Insights into extracellular dextran formation by Liquorilactobacillus nagelii TMW 1.1827 using secretomes obtained in the presence or absence of sucrose.

Dextrans are α-(1,6)-linked glucose polymers, which are exclusively produced by lactic acid bacteria from sucrose via extracellular dextransucrases. Previous studies suggested that the environmental pH and the presence of sucrose can impact the release and activity of these enzymes. To get deeper insight into this phenomenon, the dextransucrase expressed by water kefir borne Liquorilactobacillus (L.) nagelii TMW 1.1827 (formerly Lactobacillus nagelii) was recovered in supernatants of buffered cell suspensions that had been incubated with or without sucrose and at different pH. The obtained secretomes were used to time-dependently produce and recover dextrans, whose molecular and macromolecular structures were determined by methylation analysis and AF4-MALS-UV measurements, respectively. The initial pH of the buffered cell suspensions had solely a minor influence on the released dextransucrase activity. When sucrose was present during incubation, the secretomes contained significantly higher dextransucrase activities, although the amounts of totally released proteins obtained with or without sucrose were comparable. However, the dextransucrase appeared to be released in lower amounts into the environment if sucrose was not present. The amount of isolable dextran increased up to 24 h of production, although the total sucrose was consumed within the first 10 min of incubation. Furthermore, the sucrose isomer leucrose had been formed after 10 min, while its concentrations decreased over time and the portions of longer isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs) increased. This indicated that leucrose can be used by L. nagelii TMW 1.1827 to produce more elongated and branched dextran molecules from presynthesized IMOs, while disproportionation reactions on short IMOs may appear additionally. This leads to increasing amounts of high molecular weight dextran in a state of sucrose depletion. These findings reveal new insights into the pH- and sucrose-dependent kinetics of extracellular dextran formation and may be useful for optimization of fermentative and enzymatic dextran production processes.