Effect of bacterial starvation on surfactant biotransformation

Effect of carbon starvation on the rate of dihexylsulfosuccinate (DI ISS) biotransformation by Comamonas terrigena was determined. The protein content during the starvation was stable in all variants and did not change during the transformation cycle. All starved cultures exhibited a higher biotransformation rate than a non-starved control. Cells of C. terrigena exposed for 16 h in media with no C source showed the highest specific biotransformation rate (144 % of the non-starved culture). Extension of the starvation to 2 d led to a decrease of the rate to close to that found in non-starved cells.