Isolation, Assessment and Identification of Potent Biosurfactant Producing Microorganisms from Oil Contaminated Sites

Oil spill damages marine flora and fauna to a great extent by causing physiological as well as biochemical damage. All the current measures being taken for oil spill recovery has their own drawbacks, and thus the last fate happens to be bioremediation. In our present study we have demonstrated that the organisms responsible for bioremediation are ubiquitous and how we can isolate them. The Bushnell and Hass medium is suitable for growing such hydrocarbonoclastic organisms as it provides salt composition similar to sea water as well as gives us choice to select carbon source. From various oil contaminated sites, we isolated 16 morphologically different organisms which were able to produce biosurfactant. One organism was screened as potent biosurfactant producer on basis of following screening test; drop collapse assay, hemolysis assay, oil displacement assay and emulsification assay. The potent isolate was further identified on the basis of morphological characteristics and biochemical test and it was identified as Halomonas sp. with help of Bergey?s manual of systematic bacteriology-Vol.2.