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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Renewable Product Technology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #304951
Title: Inhibitors of biofilm formation by biofuel fermentation contaminants

Author
item Leathers, Timothy
item Bischoff, Kenneth
item Rich, Joseph
item Price, Neil
item MANITCHOTPISIT, PENNAPA - Rangsit University
item Nunnally, Melinda
item Anderson, Amber

Submitted to: Bioresource Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2014
Publication Date: 10/1/2014
Citation: Leathers, T.D., Bischoff, K.M., Rich, J.O., Price, N.P., Manitchotpisit, P., Nunnally, M.S., Anderson, A.M. 2014. Inhibitors of biofilm formation by biofuel fermentation contaminants. Bioresource Technology. 169:45-51.

Interpretive Summary: In this research, a variety of novel potential inhibitors of biofilm formation by biofuel contaminants were tested. New methods are needed to control contaminants of fuel ethanol production, which reduce ethanol yields and can lead to stuck fermentations. Results showed that certain commercial enzyme mixtures, and culture supernatants of certain bacteria, were promising inhibitor of biofilms. These results are important to researchers developing improved methods to control contamination of fuel ethanol production.

Technical Abstract: Biofuel fermentation contaminants such as Lactobacillus sp. may persist in production facilities by forming recalcitrant biofilms. In this study, biofilm-forming strains of Lactobacillus brevis, L. fermentum, and L. plantarum were isolated and characterized from a dry-grind fuel ethanol plant. A variety of potential biofilm inhibitors were tested, including microbial polysaccharides, commercial enzymes, ferric ammonium citrate, liamocins, phage endolysin, xylitol, and culture supernatants from Bacillus sp. A commercial enzyme mixture (Novozyme 188) and culture supernatants from B. subtilis strains ALT3A and RPT-82412 were identified as the most promising biofilm inhibitors. In biofilm flow cells, these inhibitors reduced the density of viable biofilm cells by 0.8-0.9 log cfu/cm2. Unlike B. subtilis strain RPT-82412, B. subtilis strain ALT3A and Novozyme 188 did not inhibit planktonic growth of Lactobacillus sp. MALDI-TOF mass spectra showed the production of surfactin-like molecules by both B. subtilis strains, and the coproduction of iturin-like molecules by strain RPT-82412.