The first thing you will want to do is compare the properties with those of other polysaccharides already on the market. These would include plant gums such as guar, locust bean gum, acacia gum, etc., and microbial gums such as xanthan, gellan, pullulan, etc., and macroalgal products like carrageenan, agar, alginate, etc. You should also consider starch and cellulose derivatives.  Properties to investigate include viscosity under various conditions of heat, salts, pH, and so forth, gelling capacity, film formation, solubility in cold and hot water as well as various solvents, etc.  You should also determine if it has any special, unique properties that might render it especially useful for a particular application, like coating, encapsulation, food fiber, or anything else.

If any of these properties look promising, it would be a good idea to look at the structure and molecular weight of the polysaccharides, and determine if there is just one polysaccharide or a mixture.

And finally, even if you have a wonderful new polymer, it will have to compete with others economically, so you will need to collaborate with someone to determine the cost and yields in a scaled-up production process.

This should all indicate that there is a lot to learn about polysaccharides, and there is certainly a wealth of published information available. Start with books and reviews, then go on to more specialized and recent journal articles.

If this all sounds very daunting, then you will understand why very few novel polysaccharides actually make it to the marketplace. Still, some do from time to time, so don't give up - the nature of research is that you don't know what you'll discover! Good luck!

It can be used as the flocculant in water/wastewater treatment. Co-cultivation of cyanobacteria/microalgae with other species can result in low cost and environmental harvesting of culture.