Potential for industrial polysaccharides from anaerobes

Most bacteria that have been investigated or used for commercial production of polysaccharides are either aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, and aerobic processes are employed. Use of anaerobic bacteria, which do not require oxygen and therefore do not need aeration, would therofore significantly decrease the cost of fermentation. However, information about the polysaccharides that are produced by anaerobically grown bacteria, and about the economics of anaerobic fermentation, is scarce in the patent and research literature. In this discussion, describe the concepts and possible advantages of producing polysaccharides by anaerobic fermentation.