Isolation of native biosurfactant producers and their sustainable cultivation in a novel cola hispida pod-based medium
1 Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
2 Department of Public Health, Texila American University Guyana.
3 Biotechnology Advanced Research Centre, Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO) KM 32 Abuja-Lokoja Expressway, Sheda Abuja.
4 Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
5 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo Eno, Enugu State Nigeria.
6 Diseases Prevention and Monitoring Department, eHealth Africa.
7 Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna PMB 65 Niger State Nigeria.
Research Article
International Journal of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Archive, 2025, 10(02), 196-202.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijbpsa.2025.10.2.0091
Publication history:
Received on 15 November 2025; revised on 24 December 2025; accepted on 26 December 2025
Abstract:
The search for industrially useful microorganisms often begins in environments where evolutionary pressures have selected for specific metabolic traits. Hydrocarbon-contaminated sites represent rich reservoirs of microorganisms inherently equipped with mechanisms, such as biosurfactant production, to enhance the bioavailability and assimilation of hydrophobic carbon sources. This study aimed to isolate and characterize such indigenous, biosurfactant-proficient bacteria and pioneer their cultivation in a novel, cost-effective fermentation medium formulated with Cola hispida pod, a significant but underutilized agro-waste. Using selective isolation techniques from an engine oil-contaminated soil sample, two distinct bacterial strains were purified. Comprehensive morphological and biochemical profiling identified them as a Bacillus species (Gram-positive, endospore-forming rod) and a Pseudomonas species (Gram-negative, oxidase-positive rod). A defined co-culture consortium combining both isolates was also established. To evaluate the waste substrate, four distinct fermentation media were formulated: a basal mineral salts solution supplemented with (i) Cola hispida pod powder as the sole nutrient source (BMM/Ch), (ii) pod powder and glucose (BMM/Ch/Glu), (iii) glucose only (BMM/Glu), and (iv) commercial nutrient broth (NB) as a reference. Growth kinetics, monitored spectrophotometrically at 600 nm over 12 hours in NB, revealed robust sigmoidal growth curves for all inocula, with the co-culture exhibiting particularly vigorous growth, reaching a maximum optical density (OD₆₀₀) of approximately 1.0. Critically, all microbial preparations the pure isolates and the consortium demonstrated successful growth and metabolic activity during a 7-day cultivation period in all media, including the BMM/Ch formulation. This finding provides direct, empirical validation that the Cola hispida pod possesses bioavailable nutrients capable of sustaining microbial proliferation.
Keywords:
Biosurfactant-producing bacteria; Bacillus; Pseudomonas; Microbial consortium; Agro-waste medium; Selective isolation; Fermentation kinetics; Hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.
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