Preliminary Study on the Characterization of a Novel Polysaccharide from Enterococcus faecium SL60 Isolated from Siyez Sourdough; [Siyez Ekşi Mayasından İzole Edilen Enterococcus faecium SL60'tan Elde Edilen Yeni Bir Polisakkaritin Karakterizasyonu Üzerine Ön Çalışma]

This study reports the production, structural characterization, and preliminary cytotoxicity evaluation of an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) synthesized by Enterococcus faecium SL60, a strain isolated from traditional Siyez (einkorn) sourdough. Analytical techniques including GC-MS, FTIR, XRD, zeta potential, and elemental analysis were applied to characterize the EPS. The purified EPS was found to be a water-soluble, negatively charged, amorphous heteropolysaccharide predominantly composed of mannose and glucose, with minor proportions of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, and xylose. The total carbohydrate yield was 7.6 g/L. FTIR confirmed the presence of typical carbohydrate functional groups, while zeta potential analysis indicated a moderate surface charge (−9.71 mV), implying colloidal stability. Cytotoxicity evaluation using the CCD-1079Sk fibroblast cell line showed no significant toxicity at concentrations up to 500 µg/mL. These findings highlight the potential of SL60-derived EPS as a safe bioactive compound with possible applications in functional food development and health-related products.