A lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis C9 selected through the oil film-collapsing assay

Abstract

Bacillus subtilis C9 was selected by measuring the oil film-collapsing activity and produced biosurfactant in a medium containing glucose as a sole carbon source. The biosurfactant emulsified hydrocarbons, vegetable oils and crude oil, and lowered the surface tension of culture broth to 28 dyne/cm. A biosurfactant, C9-BS produced by B. subtilis C9 was purified by ultrafiltration, extraction with chloroform and methanol, adsorption chromatography, and preparative reversed phase HPLC. Structural analyses, IR spectroscopy, FAB mass spectroscopy, amino acid composition, and NMR analyses, demonstrated that C9-BS was a lipopeptide comprising a fatty acid tail and peptide moiety. The lipophilic part consisting of C14 or C15 hydroxy fatty acid was linked to the hydrophilic peptide part, which contained seven amino acids (Glu-Leu-Leu-Val-Asp-Leu-Leu) with a lactone linkage.