Studies on aromatic compounds degrading microorganisms from industrial effluent

Abstract

Samples from the effluent treatment plant of the pharmaceutical unit were collected and analysed for total bacterial counts with nutrient agar and mineral medium on 0.2 percent benzoate. Fifteen predominant isolates on benzoate agar were purified, amongst these eleven were gram positive and four were gram negative. These isolates showed ortho-cleavage pathway except isolate NIX which followed meta cleavage pathway and also showed extracellular production of intermediate compound. This isolate, tentatively identified as Pseudomonas mendocina was also capable of utilizing cresol, adipic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde substrates. The UV analysis of the yellow product indicated that it is HydroxyMuconic Semialdehyde (HMS). Specific activity of the enzyme catechol 2.3 dioxygenase was found to be 6.318. After treatment with Mitomycin-C culture NIX did not show accumulation of HMS but it grew on sodium benzoate.