This volume provides a thorough account of the structure and synthesis of microbial exopolysaccharides and of their widespread application across a broad range of industries, including food, oil and medicine. The successful exploitation of these polysaccharides requires a sound scientific understanding of their chemical and physical properties and also their biochemistry and biosynthesis; this is the first volume to cover all these aspects in a concise and coherent way. Interest in these polysaccharides has been fuelled by their increasing use in food, in the oil industry and in medicine. The author provides a timely account of all these areas as well as looking further ahead to speculate how their unique properties might be harnessed for new products and processes.