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Characteristics of some fermentative bacteria from a thermophilic methane-producing fermenter

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Abstract

Anaerobic bacteria from a 55‡C methane-producing beef waste fermenter were enumerated, isolated, and characterized. Direct microscopic bacterial counts were 5.2–6.8×1010 per g fermenter effluent. Using a nonselective roll-tube medium which contained 40% fermenter effluent, 8.5–14.1% of the microscopic count was culturable. Deletion of fermenter effluent significantly reduced the viable count. Sixty-four randomly picked strains were characterized. All were pleomorphic, gram-negative, anaerobic rods, many of which were difficult to grow in liquid media. The strains were divided into 5 major groups based on glucose fermentation, hydrogen sulfide production, starch hydrolysis, fermentation products, and morphology. Glucose was fermented by 75% of the isolates, 76% utilized starch, 25% produced hydrogen sulfide, 76% produced hydrogen, 37% produced indole, 21% hydrolyzed gelatin, and 13% were sporeformers. Ethanol, lactate, formate, acetate, and hydrogen were common fermentation products. Twenty-four representative strains had 1–12 flagella. Growth was observed between 35 and 73‡C. These studies indicate that species diversity among the isolated organisms was low.

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  1. Clay Center, USDA, ARS, Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, 68933, Nebraska, USA

    V. H. Varel

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  1. V. H. Varel
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Varel, V.H. Characteristics of some fermentative bacteria from a thermophilic methane-producing fermenter. Microb Ecol 10, 15–24 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02011591

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