BIODEGRADATION OF INDOLE AT HIGH-CONCENTRATION BY PERSOLVENT FERMENTATION WITH PSEUDOMONAS SP. ST-200

Pseudomonas sp. strain ST-200 grew on indole as a sole carbon source. The minimal inhibitory concentration of indole was 0.3 mg/ml for ST-20 0. However, ST-200 grew in a persolvent fermentation system containing a large amount of indole (a medium containing 20% by vol. diphenylmet hane and 4 mg/ml indole), because most of the indole was partitioned i n the organic solvent layer. When the organism was grown in the medium containing indole at 1 mg/ml in the presence of diphenyl-methane, mor e than 98% of the indole was consumed after 48h. Isatic acid (0.4 mg/m l) and isatin (0.03 mg/ml) were produced as the metabolites in the aqu eous medium layer.