Isolation and Identification of Carotenoid Producing Halophilic Bacteria and Archaea from Solar Saltern of Mulund MS

Abstract

Solar salterns, located in the tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, are artificial shallow ponds for the production of halite (NaCl) from seawater. They are often built as multipond systems. Multi-pond solar salterns have been widespread environments for studies on halophilic microorganisms. In the present study Archaeal and bacterial diversity of the salterns located at Mulund (19°10 12 N, 72°57 18 E), Mumbai was investigated. These ponds are situated along western coast in Arabian Sea. Very less researchers have reported community structure of these ponds till the date. Halophilic microorganisms have capacity to tolerate and live under high salt concentrations by generating a balance inside and outside of the cell to avoid osmotic stress. These traits of halophilic microorganism generate a great interest to the scientific community due to their potential applications in the biotechnological industries. Total 3 pigmented, fast growing halophilic organisms were selected from 20 isolates and designated as RD1, RD2 and RD3 from Solar saltern of Mulund, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Isolated halobacteria was identified as Haloferax alexandrinus, Haloferax lucentense and Haloferax prahovense. These salt tolerant organisms were characterized using morphological, biochemical assays. All the three isolates showed remarkable growth at pH 7 and temperature 30°C. However, variation was recorded in resistance of isolates to salt concentration. Remarkable carotenoid production by Haloferax alexandrinus was recorded at pH 7, temperature 30°C and NaCl concentration of 5 %. In our study antioxidant activity was exhibited by extracted pigments. In the present study, the pigment sample produced by Haloferax alexandrinus, Haloferax lucentense and Haloferax prahovense were subjected to GC-MS analysis which accounted for a total of 10 different compounds present in the tested Haloferax alexandrines sample whereas, Haloferax lucentense and Haloferax prahovense sample showed each 13 different compounds. In addition to their utilization