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SECTION II. APPLIED BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY... 487sixth days, which were much lower than the untreated sample. These findings supported that EPS from L. plantarum MT12 may be a potent coating material to extent shelf life of fruits in the near future. Keywords: antibacterial activity, exo-polysaccharides, food preservation, strawberry, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, strawberry.1. INTRODUCTIONEPSs are carbohydrate polymers secreted outside of microorganisms as a sticky slime in order to protect microbial cells against negative effects from environments [4]. Because of unique biological activities and physicochemical properties, EPSs have various application in industrial sectors including food, paint, textile, medicine, pharmaceutical, and agriculture [7; 13]. For example, dextran, xanthan gum, pullulan, curdlan, gellan are commonly used for food processing [13]. To date, scientists have paid an attention on finding novel EPSs with better applicability, efficacy and economic range to replace EPSs already available in the market. In the food industry, physicochemical treatments are used to improve the post-harvest preservation, which affect to nutritional value of food, especially in fruits [8]. In addition, resistant pathogens, environmental issues, and toxicity to human are main concerns. Therefore, sustained production and usage of bioactive EPSs for food protection, preservation and postharvest applications are a promising solution in the future of food industry.The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which are known to produce lactic acid as the major end product of carbohydrate metabolism, commonly used for the fermentation and preservation of