ARS | Publication request: VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM VEGETABLE OIL: SCREENING OF MICROBIAL STRAINS FOR LINOLEIC ACID BIOCONVERSION AND RECLASSIFICATION OF STRAIN ALA2.

Submitted to: UJNR Food & Agricultural Panel Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings/Symposium
Publication Acceptance Date: December 12, 2004
Publication Date: December 18, 2004
Citation: Hou, C.T., Labeda, D.P., Rooney, A.P. 2004. Value-added products from vegetable oil: screening of microbial strains for linoleic acid bioconversion and reclassification of strain ALA2. UJNR Food & Agricultural Panel Proceedings. p. 235-239.

Technical Abstract: We identified [5] many novel hydroxy fatty acids produced from linoleic acid by Clavibacter sp. ALA2. Among them, 12,13,17-trihydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid (12,13,17-THOA) is the main product. To determine if strain ALA2 is the best strain for industrial production, other related strains were screened for their abilities to convert linoleic acid. Two strains from Clavibacter and twenty type strains from the phylogenetically related genus Microbacterium were screened. Surprisingly, all of these strains tested showed very little or no activity in converting linoleic acid. During reexamination of the systematics of strain ALA2, the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of ALA2 was found to be 99% identical to that of Bacillus megaterium, and it was also found to have 76.3% DNA homology to the type strain. Therefore, strain ALA2 is now re-classified as B. megaterium. Screening 22 strains of B. megaterium showed that many of them were able to produce hydroxyl fatty acids from linoleic acid, however, strain ALA2 possesses the greatest activity.