The Effect of Calcium/Magnesium Ratio on the Biomass Production of a Novel Thermoalkaliphilic Aeribacillus pallidus Strain with Highly Heat-Resistant Spores

Abstract

Hot springs are fascinating extreme environments for the isolation of polyextremophilic microorganisms with extraordinary characteristics. Since polyextremophilic bacterial growth are not as high as routine bacteria, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of some environmental factors on biomass and metabolites productions in the newly isolated strain, from Larijan hot spring in Iran. The strain was identified as Aeribacillus pallidus Lhs-10 and deposited as CCUG 72355 and IBRC-M 11202 in Sweden and Iran, respectively. This thermoalkaliphilic strain can grow best at 50 °C, pH 8 and in the presence of 25 g/l NaCl. The physiological characterization of this strain show that [Ca/Mg] ratio affect its growth and biomass production with the best results obtained at the ratio of 2.5. Moreover, lactic and acetic acids production by this strain was affected by pH, aeration, and temperature, where a metabolic shift was detected from lactate to acetate production when the culture was aerated. Besides, its spores could tolerate heating at 80, 85, 90, 95 and 98 °C for 30 min without any reduction in the initial spore population, whereas D-value was defined 50 min at 98 °C. This newly lactic acid-producing strain of A. pallidus can be a promising strain that can be used in the harsh conditions in industrial processes.