Degradation Of Caffeine By Pseudomonas Putida Isolated From Soil Under Coffee Cultivation

Soil samples from different coffee production areas of Brazil were used for the isolation of bacteria with the ability to degrade caffeine as a sole source of nitrogen and carbon. Nineteen bacterial isolates were obtained, Pseudomonas putida being the most common and more effective in caffeine degradation. P. putida isolates were capable of growth in caffeine concentration up to 50 g/l in solid agar medium. Growth of P. putida was also observed on other methylxanthines in liquid medium. Addition of exogenous caffeine to soil samples showed degradation of the alkaloid in anon-autoclaved duplicate. Our results indicates that there may be enough caffeine in the soil to support a diverse population of caffeine degraders, which might influence allelopathic response due to caffeine. However, in situ experiments have to be conducted to adequately demonstrate the role of these bacteria in eliminating the allelopathic effect of caffeine in soil.512334Blecher, R., Lingens, F., The metabolism of caffeine be a Pseudomonas putida strain (1977) Hoppe-Seyler's Zeitschrift fuer Physiologische Chemie, 358, pp. 807-817Burr, T.J., Caesar, A., Beneficial plant bacteria (1985) CRC Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 2, pp. 1-20Gluck, M., Lingens, F., Studies on the microbial production of theobromine and heteroxanthine from caffeine (1987) Applied Microbiology and Technology, 25, pp. 334-340Holt, J.G., Krieg, N.R., Sneath, P.H.R., Williams, S.T., (1994) Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, , Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. 9th EditionKing, E.O., Ward, M.K., Ramy, D.E., Two single media for the demonstration of pyocyanin and fluorescein (1954) Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 44, pp. 301-307Lailach, G.E., Thompson, T.D., Brindley, G.W., Absorption of pyrimidines, purines and nucleosides by Li-, Na-, Mg- and Ca-Montmorillonite (ciay-organic studies XII) (1968) Clay Minerals, 16, pp. 286-293Middlehoven, W.J., Bakker, C.M., Degradation of caffeine by immobilized cells of Pseudomonas putida strain C3024 (1982) European Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 15, pp. 214-217Rice, E.L., (1984) Allelopathy, , Orlando, USA: Academic Press. 2nd EditionRizvi, S.J.H., Mukerji, D., Mathur, N., A new report on a possible source of natural herbicide (1980) Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 18, pp. 777-778Rizvi, S.J.H., Mukerji, D., Mathur, N., Selective phyto-toxicity of 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine between Phaseolus mungo and some weeds (1981) Agriculture and Biological Chemistry, 45, pp. 1255-1256Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E.F., Maniatis, T., (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 1. , New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 2nd EditionStanier, R.Y., Palleroni, N.J., Doudoroff, M., The aerobic Pseudomonas: A taxonomic study (1966) Journal of General Microbiology, 43, pp. 159-271Waller, G.R., Kumari, D., Friedman, J., Friedman, N., Chou, C.H., Caffeine autotoxicity in Coffea arabica L. (1986) The Science of Allelopathy, pp. 243-269. , Eds., A.R. Putnam and C.S. Tang. New York: John Wiley and SonsWoolfolk, C.A., Metabolism of N-methylpurines by a Pseudomonas putida strain isolated by enrichment on the caffeine as sole source of carbon and nitrogen (1975) Journal of Bacteriology, 123, pp. 1088-110