Isolation and Characterization of Phenol Degrading Yeast

Abstract

A phenol degrading yeast isolate was identified and characterized from the soil sample collected from a landfill site, in Ahmedabad, India, by plating the soil dilutions on Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar. The microscopic studies and biochemical tests indicated the isolate to be Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The henol degrading potential of the isolate was easured by inoculation of pure culture in the ineral medium containing various phenol oncentrations ranging from 100 to 800 mg l–1and onitoring phenol disappearance rate at regular ntervalsof time. Growth of the isolate in mineral edium with various phenol concentrations wasmonitored by measuring the turbidity (OD600nm). The results showed that the isolated eastwas tolerant to phenol up to 800 mg–1. The henol degradation ranged from 8.57 to 100% forthe oncentration of phenol from 800 mg l–1to 200 mg l–1, respectively.