Т. V. Gudzenko, O. V. Voliuvach, O. G. Gorshkova,
А. М. Ostapchuk, V. O. Ivanytsia

I.I. Mechnykov Оdessa National University, Ukraine;
e-mail: tgudzenko@ukr.net

Received: 19 June 2019; Accepted: 29 November 2019 2019

Biotechnological treatment of enterprises wastewater, which contains toxic phenolic compounds, is the most acceptable method today. Therefore, the search for new non-pathogenic biochemically active microorganisms – destructors of phenol and their identification is relevant. The aim of this study was to determine phenol-oxidizing activity and the fatty acid profile of Brevibacillus centrosporus F14 – destructor of phenol, isolated from pharmaceutical plant wastewater. Fatty acids analysis of the microorganism culture was carried out using automatic system of microorganisms identification MIDI Sherlock based on gas chromatograph Agilent 7890. The phenol-oxidizing activity of bacteria was determined by photometric method accor­ding to the degree of phenol extraction from the water. It was experimentally confirmed that Brevibacillus sp. F14 strain had a phenol-destructive activity. When phenol-containing water was treated with Brevibacillus sp. F14 cells, phenol concentration in the water decreased from 200.0 ± 12.0 mg/l to 6.8 ± 0.8 mg/l during 15 days of exposure. Chromatographic analysis showed that saturated fatty acids i-14:0 (14.9%), i-15:0 (14.8%), a-15:0 (34.9%), i-16:0 (11.10%) dominated in the strain’s fatty acids profile. The total content of the branched saturated fatty acids i-14:0, i-15:0, a-15: 0, i-16: 0, i-17: 0, a-17:0, ∑(a-17:1/i-17:1) was 85.0% and that of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with the normal structure – 7% of the total fatty acids pool. The distinction of Brevibacillus centrosporus F14 strain’s  fatty acid profile from other bacteria of Brevibacillus genus was  the presence of more i-14:0 (14.85%), i-16:0 (11.10%) fatty acids and 16: 1 w7c alcohol (7.71%), as well as the  minor content of fatty acids markers 16:0 N alcohol (0.60%), 18:3 w6c (0.4%) and ∑(a-17:1/i-17:1) (1.94%). According to the phenotypic characteristics and fatty acid composition, the tested phenol-oxidizing strain belongs to Brevibacillus centrosporus species. The index of Brevibacillus centrosporus F14 strain’s fatty acid profile similarity with the library was 0.645.