Microbially secreted exopolymeric substances (EPS), rich in polysaccharides and proteins, make up an important part of natural organic matter in the ocean, especially marine snow. While the attention in the oceanographic literature is focused more on the role of polysaccharides and less of proteins in EPS functions, the role of proteins, especially the role of the protein/carbohydrate (P/C) ratio of particles and colloids (macromolecular fraction) remains to be explored. EPS associated with particles forms a biofilm, where proteins are not only involved in cell surface attachment, but also in the stabilization of the biofilm matrix, and the development of a three-dimensional biofilm architecture. Here, we provide a perspective based on the most recent literature on EPS, marine oil spills and waste water treatment to describe the relationship between the P/C ratio of EPS and a number of biophysical properties related to biopolymer aggregation propensity, e.g., relative hydrophobicity, surface activity and surface tension, attachment efficiency, light-induced chemical crosslinking, and sedimentation efficiency of marine snow in marine environments.

富含多糖和蛋白质的微生物分泌的高分子外物质（EPS）构成了海洋（尤其是海洋积雪）中天然有机物质的重要组成部分。海洋学文献的注意力更多地集中在多糖的作用上，而较少的蛋白质在EPS功能中的作用，蛋白质的作用，尤其是颗粒和胶体（大分子级分）的蛋白质/碳水化合物（P / C）比的作用有待探索。与颗粒相关的EPS形成生物膜，蛋白质不仅参与细胞表面附着，还参与生物膜基质的稳定化和三维生物膜结构的发展。在此，我们根据最新的EPS文献提供一个观点，