Production of Biosurfactant by a Marine Alkaliphilic Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Effect of Various Physico-Chemical Parameters on its Production

The effect of temperature and pH on biosurfactant production by marine alkaliphilic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated at temperatures from 25C to 45C, and pH 5-10. In this study, biosurfactant production by selected microbe was found to be strongly dependent on pH. The potential of bacterium to utilize different carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of an extracellular biosurfactant was also evaluated. Bacterium grew from pH 6-12 but optimum pH was found to be 9. Similarly it grew at temperature range 25 C to 45 C and optimum temperature was found to be 30 C. Strain was able to grow and reduce the surface tension of culture broth to 27.95 mN/m when cultured using sunflower oil as a sole carbon source and combination of sodium nitrate with peptone as nitrogen source at pH 9. Strain was found to be alkaliphilic member of biosurfactant-producing Pseudomonas spp, which has potential application in the industrial processes where high pH is common.