A new extracellular charged polysaccharide composed mainly by galactose, with lower amounts of mannose, glucose and rhamnose, was produced by the cultivation of Pseudomonas oleovorans NRRL B-14682 using glycerol as the sole carbon source. Thermal and solid-state NMR analysis showed that this polymer is essentially amorphous, with a glass transition temperature of 155.7 degrees C. The exopolysaccharide aqueous solutions have viscoelastic properties similar to that of Guar gum, but with affinity to salts as a result of its polyelectrolyte character. In addition, the exopolysaccharide has demonstrated good flocculating and emulsifying properties and film-forming capacity. These properties make this polymer a good alternative to more expensive natural polysaccharides, such as Guar gum, in several applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile, paper and petroleum industries. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.