A Screening System for Microbes which Produce Olefin Hydrocarbons

Abstract

A simple screening system for the selection of microbes which produce olefin hydrocarbons was developed. This system consisted of microbiological and chemical methods as 1st and 2nd screening procedures, respectively. We isolated three olefin-utilizing microbes, i.e., K-614, H-131 and M-141 belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, and used them for the microbiological method. The growth of strain K-614 was supported only by ethylene. But strains H-131 and M-141 utilized many kinds of hydrocarbons including propylene and 1-butene as the sole source of carbon. For the rapid detection of the desired microbes, a pH indicator was added to the mineral salts medium. For the chemical method, the color reaction of molybdenum with olefin hydrocarbons in the presence of a palladium catalyst was used. Minimum detectable rates of ethylene production by the microbiological and chemical methods were at least 70 and 500nl/test tube/hr, respectively. Using the system developed, olefin-producing strains were selected from 296 isolates. As a result, some excellent strains were isolated.