Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Exopolysaccharide Produced from Beet Waste Residue by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides

Lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a large molecular polymer produced during the growth and metabolism of lactic acid bacteria. EPS has multiple biological functions and is widely used in fields such as food and medicine. However, the low yield and high production cost of EPS derived from lactic acid bacteria limit its widespread application. In this study, we used beet waste residue as a substrate to produce EPS by fermentation with <i>Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides</i> to improve the utilization rate of agricultural waste and reduce the production cost of lactic acid bacterial EPS. After purification, the molecular weight (Mw) of EPS was determined to be 417 kDa using high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed that the EPS was composed of glucose subunits with α-1,6 glycosidic linkages. The thermal analysis and heavy metal adsorption capacity revealed a relatively high degradation temperature of 315.54 °C and that the material could effectively adsorb Cu²⁺. Additionally, the findings indicated that the EPS exhibited a significant ability to neutralize free radicals, a property that was found to be concentration dependent. Furthermore, the results of the intracellular study showed the protective effect of freshly isolated EPS on tBHP-induced cellular oxidative stress at a concentration of 50 µg/mL. These results suggest that the EPS from <i>L. pseudomesenteroides</i> may be developed as antioxidant agents for functional food products and pharmaceutical applications due to its capacity to scavenge free radicals.