Phenol degradation and heavy metal tolerance of Antarctic yeasts
- Fernandez, Pablo Marcelo
- Martorell, María Martha
- Blaser, Mariana G.
- Ruberto, Lucas Adolfo Mauro
- Castellanos, Lucia Ines
- Mac Cormack, Walter Patricio
DOIAbstract
In cold environments, biodegradation of organic pollutants and heavy metal bio-conversion requires the activity of cold-adapted or cold-tolerant microorganisms. In this work, the ability to utilize phenol, methanol and n-hexadecane as C source, the tolerance to different heavy metals and growth from 5 to 30 °C were evaluated in cold-adapted yeasts isolated from Antarctica. Fifty-nine percent of the yeasts were classified as psychrotolerant as they could grow in all the range of temperature tested, while the other 41% were classified as psychrophilic as they only grew below 25 °C. In the assimilation tests, 32, 78, and 13% of the yeasts could utilize phenol, n-hexadecane, and methanol as C source, respectively, but only 6% could assimilate t...
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