In a comparison of submerged cultivation (SC) with solid substrate fermentation (SSF) for the production of bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS), the latter technique yielded 2 to 4.7 times more polymer than the former, on the laboratory scale. SSF was performed using inert solid particles (spent malt grains) impregnated with a liquid medium. The polymer yields obtained from SSFs, as referred to the impregnating liquid volumes, were as follows: 38.8 g/litre xanthan from Xanthomonas campestris, 21.8 g/litre succinoglycan from Rhizobium hedysari and 20.3 g/litre succinoglycan from Agrobacterium tumefaciens PT45. These results make this technique promising for a potential application on the industrial scale. A further advantage with this fermentation process is found in the availability and low cost of substrates, which are obtained as by-products or wastes from the agriculture or food industry.