10(R)-HYDROXYSTEARIC ACID PRODUCTION BY A NOVEL MICROBE, NRRL B-14797, ISOLATED FROM COMPOST

A bacterium, NRRL B-14797, isolated from composted manure, converted o leic acid exclusively to 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid in 3-day batch cult ures. 9(Z)-Unsaturated fatty acids in a lipid extract from soybean soa pstock were also hydrated effectively. Aerobic bioconversions by isola te B-14797 were compared with those by Pseudomonas B-2994 and Nocardia 5767, which produce mixtures of 10-hydroxy- and 10-ketostearic acids. The results of studies with resting cells and cell-free extracts were consistent with action of a hydratase and absence of secondary alcoho l dehydrogenase in strain B-14797.