Assessment of physicochemical factors and partial screening of the biosurfactant producing bacteria in marine water of Kerala
Paper Details
Assessment of physicochemical factors and partial screening of the biosurfactant producing bacteria in marine water of Kerala
Abstract
This research examined the physico-chemical characteristics and cultivable bacterial diversity of a marine water samples collected from Chombala of kerala and also assessing the potential for biosurfactant production. The physical parameters indicated (Alkalinity (total), NH₃/NH₄⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻, Dissolved oxygen, Electrical conductivity, Mg²⁺, NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻, pH, PO₄³⁻, Salinity, SiO2, Temperature, TDS, Total hardness & Turbidity. A total of fifteen bacterial strains were isolated, characterized morphologically, biochemically and identified as Bacillus sp. (40%), along with Vibrio sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Halomonas sp., Serratia marcescens, among others. The biosurfactant screening methods employed (Including Drop Collapse, Oil Spread, Atomized Oil Spray, Microplate Assay, Tilting Slide & Emulsification (24h), Hemolytic Assay, CTAB-MB Plate, Hydrocarbon Overlay and Aggregation) revealed that 10 strains (67%) tested positive, predominantly consisting of Bacillus and Pseudomonas species. The oligotrophic and saline environment supported a diverse community of halotolerant bacteria with significant biosurfactant production potential, underscoring implications for bioremediation and aquaculture.
Aina OR, Omotayo AE, Efthimiou G, Olaleye ON, Oshoma CE. 2026. Assessing the potential for crude oil degradation by biosurfactant-producing bacteria isolated from marine ecosystems in Nigeria. Access Microbiology 8(1), 000953-v6.
American Public Health Association (APHA). 1926. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Vol. 6. American Public Health Association.
Anitha Kumari C, Johnsi Christobel, Beena Lowrence. 2023. Seasonal variations in physicochemical characteristics of Kanyakumari marine waters, southwest coast of India. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences 10(2S), 3549–3561.
Annalakshmi G, Sakthivel Murugan S. 2019. Analyzing the physical and chemical properties of water column nutrients and sediments along southeast coast of India. In: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference in Ocean Engineering (ICOE2018). Springer Singapore, Singapore. 1, 985–996.
Barakat KM, Hassan SWM, Darwesh OM. 2017. Biosurfactant production by haloalkaliphilic Bacillus strains isolated from the Red Sea, Egypt. Journal of Aquatic Research 43, 205–211.
Basha S, Noorjahan A, Karuppaiya M, Mahesh S, Aiyamperumal B. 2021. Screening and characterization of biosurfactant-producing novel marine bacterium Bacillus tequilensis KM15 and its application for plant growth promotion. Natural Volatiles and Essential Oils 5, 810472–10488.
Belsky I, Gutnick DL, Rosenberg E. 1979. Emulsifier of Arthrobacter RAG-1: Determination of emulsifier-bound fatty acids. FEBS Letters 101, 175–178.
Dash HR, Mangwani N, Chakraborty J, Kumari S, Das S. 2013. Marine bacteria: Potential candidates for enhanced bioremediation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 97(2), 561–571.
Dubeau D, Deziel E, Woods DE, Lepine F. 2009. Burkholderia thailandensis harbors two identical rhl gene clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of rhamnolipids. BMC Microbiology 9, 263.
Funston SJ, Tsaousi K, Smyth TJ, Twigg MS, Marchant R, Banat IM. 2017. Enhanced rhamnolipid production in Burkholderia thailandensis transposon knockout strains deficient in polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 101, 8443–8454.
Kannapiran E, Kannan L, Purushothaman A, Thangarajdou T. 2008. Physicochemical and microbial characteristics of the coral reef environment of the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, India. Journal of Environmental Biology 29(2), 215.
Kavitha R, Christy Ponni A. 2018. Physicochemical characteristics of marine water samples from Pazhayar, Kollidam Taluk, southeast coast of Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. Asian Journal of Innovative Research 3(1), 20–26.
Kavitha R, Ponni AC. 2019. Assessment of physicochemical parameters of marine water samples from Pazhayar, southeast coast of Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research 6(4), 234–246.
Krieg NR, Holt JG (eds.). 1984. Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Vol. I. p. xxvii–964.
Maneerat S, Bamba T, Harada K, Kobayashi A, Yamada H, Kawai F. 2006. A novel crude oil emulsifier excreted in the culture supernatant of a marine bacterium, Myroides sp. strain SM1. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 70, 254–259.
Mnif S, Chamkha M, Sayadi S. 2009. Isolation and characterization of Halomonas sp. strain C2SS100, a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium under hypersaline conditions. Journal of Applied Microbiology 107, 785–794.
Ouseph PP, Prasanthan V, Abhilash PP, Udayakumar P. 2009. Occurrence and distribution of some enteric bacteria along the southern coast of Kerala. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 38(1), 97.
Paul BF. 2018. Screening and extraction of biosurfactant-producing bacteria from oil-contaminated soils. International Journal of Advanced Research 6, 1873–1878.
Perfumo A, Smyth TJP, Marchant R, Banat IM. 2010. Production and roles of biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers in accessing hydrophobic substrates. In: Timmis KN (ed.). Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology. Springer, Heidelberg. p. 1501–1512.
Ratnam K, Jha DK, Prashanthi Devi M, Dharani G. 2022. Evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of marine waters of Nellore, southeast coast of India, by a multivariate statistical approach. Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 857957.
Rosenberg E, Zuckerberg A, Rubinovitz C, Gutnick DL. 1979. Emulsifier of Arthrobacter RAG-1: Isolation and emulsifying properties. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 37, 402–408.
Santos JD, Vitorino I, Reyes F, Vicente F, Lage OM. 2020. From ocean to medicine: Pharmaceutical applications of metabolites from marine bacteria. Antibiotics 9(8), 455.
Satpute SK, Bhawsar BD, Dhakephalkar PK, Chopade BA. 2008. Assessment of different screening methods for selecting biosurfactant-producing marine bacteria. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 37(3), 243.
Sheikh J, Tan TS, Saidin S, Ahmed S, Chua LS. 2024. Bacterial morphology and microscopic advancements: Navigating from basics to breakthroughs. Microbiology and Immunology Communications 3, 03–41.
Shini K, Tharavathy NC. 2016. Seasonal variation in the physicochemical properties of the marine waters at Kushalnagar Beach, Kasaragod. Indian Journal of Applied Research 6(7), 585–588.
Shoaib M, Muzammil I, Hammad M, Bhutta ZA, Yaseen I. 2020. A mini-review on commonly used biochemical tests for identification of bacteria. International Journal of Research Publications 54(1), 1–7.
Trindade M, Sithole N, Kubicki S, Thies S, Burger A. 2021. Screening strategies for biosurfactant discovery. In: Biosurfactants for the Biobased Economy. Springer International Publishing, Cham. p. 17–52.
Vijayan R, Suresh AS, Mathew S. 2024. Analysis of physicochemical properties in the mangrove ecosystem of Paravoor, Kollam District, Kerala, South India. Journal of Chemical Health Risks 14(3), 54–69.
P. P. Jasitha, M. Kannahi*, 2026. Assessment of physicochemical factors and partial screening of the biosurfactant producing bacteria in marine water of Kerala. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 29(1), 92-100.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.


