Abstract

A biosurfactant-producing strain, Fusarium oxysporum, was isolated from crude oil polluted soil sample collected from automobile service station of Hosur, India. The biosurfactant was extracted from the culture sample and the purified extract weighed 1.02gm. The extract when analyzed with TLC produced brown spots with iodine vapors indicating that the surfactant is of lipid composition. The FTIR spectra recorded for the compounds produced by fungal species Fusarium indicated the presence of functional groups –COO- and CH2 groups. The NMR spectral studies of the compounds produced by Fusarium were identified to be two major esters namely ester of 25-methyl-heptacosanoic acid and ethyl ester of 9-methyl-hexadecanoic acid. Based on the molecular masses and fragmentation patterns of GC-MS conducted, the structures of the compounds were confirmed to be methyl esters of 25-methyl-heptacosanoic acids and 9-methyl-hexadecanoic acids. The compounds identified in the present study, being fatty acids are good emulsifiers and promisingly good biosurfactants.

Keywords: Crude oil; Fusarium; Biodegradation; Biosurfactants; NMR; GC-MS