Effects of organic solvents on indigo formation by Pseudomonas sp. strain ST-200 grown with high levels of indole

The indole tolerance level of Pseudomonas sp. strain ST-200 was 0.25 mg/ml. The level was raised to 4 mg/ml when diphenylmethane was added to the medium to 20% by volume. ST-200 grown in this two-phase culture system containing indole (1 mg/ml) and diphenylmethane (0.2 ml/ml) produced a water-soluble yellow pigment, isatic acid, and two water-insoluble and diphenylmethane-soluble pigments, blue indigo and purple indirubin. The amounts of the water-insoluble pigments corresponded to 0.5% (indigo) and 0.2% (indirubin) of the indole added to the medium. Of the conditions tried, indigo and indirubin were formed only when ST-200 was grown in the two-phase system overlaid with organic solvents with appropriate polarity.