Screening and Identification of Exopolysaccharide Producing Bacteria From Pickled Fruit Tri Handayani Kurniati, Noer Syahbani, Sri Rahayu
Biology Department, State University of Jakarta, Jakarta Timur, 13220, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
Abstract
Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are biopolymers in the form of carbohydrate chains that synthesized and secreted by bacteria outside the cell. EPS can be widely used in various industrial fields. This study aims to obtain isolates of EPS-producing bacteria from pickled fruit and determine their identity based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The method used in this research was descriptive and experimental methods. The research stages consist of isolation, screening, characterization, identification, and ability assay of producing EPS. Based on screening results on MRSA media enriched with skim milk, as many as 15 bacterial isolates from pickled fruit with various morphological characteristics were able to produce EPS which was characterized by the formation of white zones and mucoid colonies. Three bacterial isolates, namely A4, M1, and P4 were known to have an EPS index value of 0.43, 0.33, and 0.30 and had a relatively fast growth compared to other isolates. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences showed that the isolates of EPS-producing bacteria from pickled fruit were identified as Peribacillus acanthi A4 (99.69%), Priestia flexus M1 (99.15%), and Priestia megaterium P4 (99.77%). The results ability assay of producing EPS showed that Peribacillus acanthi A4, Priestia flexus M1, and Priestia megaterium P4 had the ability to produce EPS (ppm) sequentially as much as 847, 1,013.57, and 1,007.29. The results of one way ANOVA showed that there was a significant effect of bacterial type on the ability to produce EPS with a significance (P<0.05). DMRT 5% test showed there were two isolates that had no significant difference in ability to produce EPS, namely Priestia flexus M1 (1,013.57 ppm) and Priestia megaterium P4 (1,007.29 ppm). The results of this study provide information on EPS producing bacteria from pickled fruit that can be developed as gelation, bioremediation, and immunomodulators agents.
