EVALUATION OF BACTERIAL STRAINS FOR BIOSURFACTANT PRODUCTION FROM AGRO-INDUSTRIAL WASTESREEBA PANESAR, P.S. PANESAR, N. KUMAR AND M.B. BERAAbstract Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds, which have the advantages over synthetic counterparts such as lower toxicity, biodegradability, selectivity, specific activity at extreme temperatures, pH, salinity, and the possibility of their production through fermentation. These have wide range of potential applications in areas of environmental protection and management, crude oil recovery, as antimicrobial agents in health care and food processing industries. The advantages of biosurfactants over their synthetic derivatives and wide range of applications have attracted the strong interest of scientific community. In the present investigation, the food industry waste namely molasses and whey have been tested for their suitability for biosurfactant production. Five bacterial strains have been evaluated for their ability to use these raw materials and compared their performance on the conventional media. Among the bacterial strains tested, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2297 displayed the maximum emulsification activity (65%) on molasses medium after 120 hrs of incubation period.
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