Isolation and Identification of Gram Positive Biosurfactants Producing Bacteria from Mighan Wetland in Iran

Biosurfactants are surface active compounds which are produced by bacteria, fungi and yeasts. Most of them have different structures including: lipopeptides, glycolipids, polysaccharides, protein complexes, fatty acids and phospholipids. Nowadays, due to their useful properties, they have attracted attention of many. Therefore, the present study was conducted to isolate Gram positive bacteria capable of producing biosurfactants from Mighan Wetland in Iran. Accordingly, the isolated microorganisms were evaluated using oil spreading technique with different types of oil and haemolysis tests. The selected microorganisms were detected by their ability to produce surfactants using TLC. The results indicated that out of seven different isolated genera two were Gram positive, and they were characterized as Bacillus firmus and Staphylococcus sp. On the other hand, oil spreading technique indicated that organisms are able to produce biosurfactants. In addition, extracted biosurfactant on TLC plates and applying ninhydrin reagent indicated the lipopeptide structure of the biosurfactant by producing red spot. Hence, the present study illustrated that this area of investigation could be a suitable place for isolation of microorganism with capability to produce biosurfactants and it could be used for further study and applications.