1998 Volume 93 Issue 12 Pages 982-989
The screening of acid-forming facultative anaerobes for their decolorizing ability with the distilled wastewater (DWDA) produced during the alcoholic fermentation of cane molasses was carried out. On the primary screening, 113 strains, which were isolated from enrichment cultures of various plant and animal samples or soil samples showed decolorizing activity on modified GYP medium containing 10%(v/v) distilled wastewater. Strain SM-3, which was isolated from a soil sample, was selected as the best strain. This strain decolorized 31.4% of molasses pigment at a concentration of 10%(v/v) distilled wastewater supplemented with 1% glucose within 5days at 30°C under semi-anaerobic conditions. The main DWDA was found in the cell-free extract and cell membrane fractions. The strain was identified as Lactobacillus casei from taxonomical studies. Unlike Lactobacillus hilgardii W-NS, decolorization by SM-3 was thought to be based on specific enzymes in the cell membrane fraction which only decolorize the larger molecular weight fractions of the molasses pigment molecules.
