Xanthan gum production was studied using sugarcane broth as the raw material and batch fermentation by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris NRRL B-1459. The purpose of this study was to optimize the variables of sucrose, yeast extract, and ammonium nitrate concentrations and to determine the kinetic parameters of this bioreaction under optimized conditions. The effects of yeast extract and ammonium nitrate concentrations for a given sucrose concentration (12.1-37.8 g L-1) were evaluated by central composite design to maximize the conversion efficiency. In a bioreactor, the maximum conversion efficiency was achieved using 27.0 g L-1 sucrose, 2.7 g L-1 yeast extract, and 0.9 g L-1 NH4NO3. This point was assayed in a shaker and in a bioreactor to compare bioreaction parameters. These parameters were estimated by the unstructured kinetic model of Weiss and Ollis (Biotechnol Bioeng 22: 859-873, 1980) to determinate the yields (Y-P/S), the maximum growth specific rate (mu(max)), and the saturation cellular concentration (X*). The parameters of the model (mu(max), X*, m, lambda, alpha, and beta) were obtained by nonlinear regression. For production of xanthan gum in a shaker, the values of mu(max) and Y-P/S obtained were 0.119 h(-1) and 0.34 g g(-1), respectively, while in a bioreactor, they were 0.411 h(-1) and 0.63 g g(-1), respectively.