A polysaccharide, isolated from rapeseed hulls by extraction with aqueous sodium hydroxide-sodium tetraborate, contained residues of L-arabinose, L-fucose, D-xylose, D-galactose, and D-glucose in the proportions of 2:8:25:13:52. Acetolysis furnished cellobiose, 6-O-alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-D-glucose,
Alginate microbeads, produced by emulsion/internal gelation, were studied for the entrapment and microcultivation of microbial cells with biotechnological potential. An anaerobic consortium which was selected for its capacity to degrade complex carbohydrates, and a pure culture of cellulose