Emulsification and Hydrolysis of Oil by Syncephalastrum racemosum

Chandni Mathur; Ranjana Prakash; Amjad Ali; Jasminder Kaur; Swaranjit Singh Cameotra; N. Tejo Prakash

doi:10.14429/dsj.60.350

Chandni Mathur Thapar University, Patiala
Ranjana Prakash Thapar University, Patiala
Amjad Ali Thapar University, Patiala
Jasminder Kaur Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh
Swaranjit Singh Cameotra Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh
N. Tejo Prakash Thapar University, Patiala

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.350

Keywords: Fungus, Syncephalastrum racemosum, emulsification, esterification, vegetable oil, biotransformation, lipolysis

Abstract

A fungal strain, Syncephalastrum racemosum, was isolated from oil-leak contaminated soils from Kanpur, India. The strain was examined for potential to emulsify soybean oil using a 18 per cent oil supplement as carbon source in minimal salt medium. On 72 h growth of the fungus in oil and salt medium, the cellfree supernatant (CFS) showed presence of mono- and di-glycerides indicating degradation of oils to free fatty acids (FFAs). Increasing concentration of oil resulted in enhanced formation of FFAs. The degradation process was observed to be related to the emulsification activity in CFS which was observed to increase with time. The study reports the emulsification and hydrolytic activity of S. racemosum, an activity that can be exploited for increasing the accessibility and treatment of hazardous substance including hydrophobic explosives.

Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(3), pp.251-254, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.350

Author Biographies

Chandni Mathur, Thapar University, Patiala

Research Fellow, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi. Working on aspects related to allergy and immunological responses.

Ranjana Prakash, Thapar University, Patiala

Working as Assistant Professor at Thapar University since 1999 and has been working on biocatalysis and biotransformations.

Amjad Ali, Thapar University, Patiala

Assistant Professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thapar University, Patiala. He is actively involved in developing nanocrystalline heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production from low quality feedstock.

Jasminder Kaur, Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh

Principal, Home Science, Chandigarh Administration.

Swaranjit Singh Cameotra, Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh

Deputy Director, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh. His area of work are microbial diversity, environmental biotechnology and microbial biochemistry.

N. Tejo Prakash, Thapar University, Patiala

Assistant Professor, Thapar University. He is associated with sponsored projects on metal biotransformations and bioremediation.