Production of bioemulsifier by Acinetobacter species isolated from healthy human skin.

Six Acinetobacter sp. isolated from healthy human skin were checked for the production of bioemulsifier. Optimization studies indicated that Luria Bertani broth pH 7 supplemented with calcium chloride (1%) was the optimum medium. Temperature at 37 degrees C was optimum and inducer oils in the medium did not enhance bioemulsifier production. Partial purification of bioemulsifier and chemical analysis revealed that it is a proteoglycan with protein (53%), polysaccharide (43%) and lipid (2%). Maximum emulsification activity obtained was 400 EU/ml. Thin layer chromatography revealed the presence of mannose and rhamnose sugar and oleic and palmitic acids as parts of lipids. The yield obtained was 1.9 g / 1. Reconstitution studies revealed that the protein and polysaccharide fractions together display 94.55% of emulsification activity. It was also noted that the bioemulsifier was stable for 72 hr at 37 degrees C and displayed good cleaning property towards different oils. The partially purified bioemulsifier formed stable oil-in-water emulsions with plant oils.