OLEIC-ACID TRANSFORMATIONS BY SELECTED STRAINS OF SPHINGOBACTERIUM-THALPOPHILUM AND BACILLUS-CEREUS FROM COMPOSTED MANURE

In a survey of 186 randomly selected microbial strains isolated from c omposted manure, 63 transformed oleic acid into three types of product s: hydroxy fatty acid, fatty amide, and less polar oleyl lipid. Select ion of oleic acid-transforming microorganisms was enhanced in nutrient agar supplemented with 0.1% (vol/vol) oleic acid at pH 7.2. Most of t he 63 diverse isolates elicited inconsistent and poorly reproduced tra nsformations. However, strains 142b (NRRL B-14797) transformed oleic a cid to 10-hydroxystearic acid consistently, and strain 229b (NRRL B-14 812) produced an octadecenamide. Taxonomic studies indicated that NRRL strain B-14797, possessing 1,3-dihydroxy-2-amino-15-methylhexadecane and sphinganine bases, was closely related to Sphingobacterium thalpop hilum, and NRRL B-14812 was identified as Bacillus cereus.