SELECTIVE REMOVAL OF FREE FATTY-ACIDS IN OILS USING A MICROORGANISM

A microorganism assimilating long chain fatty acids without secreting extracellular lipases was screened from soil and was identified as a Pseudomonas. Growth factors, nitrogen sources and trace elements required for growth of the microorganism named Pseudomonas strain BG1 were determined. Optimum pH and growth temperature were 6 and 30°C, respectively. BG1 was found to utilize lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acids as carbon sources. BG1 was shown to utilize 0.1% oleic acid almost completely in an emulsion medium within 48 hr. When BG1 was grown in a mixture of triolein and oleic acid, it selectively removed the free fatty acid without loss of triolein and did not produce mono- and diglycerides. © 1990 AOCS Press.