The polymers were defined as polysaccharides according
to their FT-IR spectra. Fig. 5 shows the spectrum from Amphora
holsatica exopolysaccharides and exhibits characteristic
bands of polysaccharides, namely in the fingerprint zone
between 1200 and 950 cm–1 (originated by C-O stretching in
alcohols) and in the OH- region at around 3400 cm–1
(H–bonded –OH). The band centred at 1645 cm–1, with a
shoulder at 1618 cm–1 is originated from water and uronic
acids. The near absence of peaks at 2924 and 2854 cm–1, very
visible in other kinds of polysaccharides, and which corre-