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Simple stain-free screening method for pectinolytic microorganisms under alkalophilic conditions

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Abstract

Objectives

To develop a simple pectin-degrading microorganism screening method.

Results

We developed a method utilizing the phenomenon whereby cooling an alkaline agar medium containing pectin causes the agar to become cloudy. This highly simplified method involves culturing the microorganisms on pectin-containing agar medium until colony formation is observed, and subsequent overnight cooling of the agar medium to 4 °C. Using this simple procedure, we successfully identified pectin-degrading microorganisms by observing colonies with halos on the clouded agar medium. We used alkaline pectinase and Bacillus halodurans, which is known to secrete alkaline pectinase, to establish the screening method. We demonstrated the screening of pectin-degrading microorganisms using the developed method and successfully isolated pectin-degrading microorganisms (Paenibacillus sp., Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus halodurans) from a soil sample.

Conclusions

The developed method is useful for identifying pectin-degrading microorganisms.

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Funding

This research was supported in part by Toyota Boshoku Corporation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Field Pioneering Division, Toyota Boshoku Corporation, Kariya, Japan

    Mai Ishihara & Hiroaki Suzuki

  2. Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan

    Masahiro Kikkawa, Kazunori Shimizu & Hiroyuki Honda

Authors
  1. Mai Ishihara
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  2. Masahiro Kikkawa
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  3. Kazunori Shimizu
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  4. Hiroaki Suzuki
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  5. Hiroyuki Honda
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Contributions

MI, KS, HS and HH conceived and designed research. MI and MK conducted experiments. MI and HS analyzed data. MI, KS and HH wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroyuki Honda.

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Conflict of interest

Authors MI and HS are employees of Toyota Boshoku Corporation.

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All of the authors have seen and approved the submission of the manuscript.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Ishihara, M., Kikkawa, M., Shimizu, K. et al. Simple stain-free screening method for pectinolytic microorganisms under alkalophilic conditions. Biotechnol Lett 43, 1905–1911 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-021-03162-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-021-03162-6

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