Isolation and Characterization of Phenol-Degrading Psychrotolerant Yeasts

Natalia Filipowicz; Malwina Momotko; Grzegorz Boczkaj; Tomasz Pawlikowski; Marta Wanarska; Hubert Cieśliński

doi:10.1007/s11270-017-3391-8

Isolation and Characterization of Phenol-Degrading Psychrotolerant Yeasts

Water Air Soil Pollut. 2017;228(6):210. doi: 10.1007/s11270-017-3391-8. Epub 2017 May 22.

Authors

Natalia Filipowicz¹, Malwina Momotko², Grzegorz Boczkaj², Tomasz Pawlikowski^{1

3}, Marta Wanarska¹, Hubert Cieśliński¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
² Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
³ Fermentum Mobile Sp. z o.o. [Ltd.], 20 Podwale Przedmiejskie, 80-824 Gdańsk, Poland.

Abstract

In this study, the potential of selected psychrotolerant yeast strains for phenol biodegradation was studied. From 39 strains isolated from soil and water samples from Rucianka peat bog, three psychrotolerant yeast strains, A01₁, B02₁, and L01₂, showed the ability to degrade phenol. The result shows that all three yeast strains could degrade phenol at 500 and 750 mg l^-1 concentration, whereas strains A01₁ and L01₂ could degrade phenol at 1000 mg l^-1 concentration. The time needed for degradation of each phenol concentration was no longer than 2 days. Strains A01₁, B02₁, and L01₂ were identified based on 26S rDNA and ITS sequence analysis as belonging to species Candida subhashii, Candida oregonensis, and Schizoblastosporion starkeyi-henricii, respectively.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Peatland; Phenol; Psychrotolerant; Yeast.