Isolation and identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae P6 strain from palm oil mill effluent as a potential producer of medium and long chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates

Ansari, Nor Faezah and Mohd Latif, Nurul Atiqah and Johari, Nor Atikah and Shukor, Aishah Humairah and Mohamad, Mohd Azrul Naim and Anis, Siti Nor Syairah (2025) Isolation and identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae P6 strain from palm oil mill effluent as a potential producer of medium and long chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates. Asia-Pacific Journal of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 33 (4). pp. 94-104. ISSN 0128-7451 E-ISSN 2672-7277

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Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable polyesters gaining attention as sustainable alternatives to plastic. However, medium and long-chain PHA-producing bacteria from industrial waste sources remain largely underexplored. Discovering new PHA-producing bacterial strains remains important to improve yield, reduce production costs, and develop diverse, sustainable bioplastics for various aplications. This study investigates the isolation and screening of bacterial strains from palm oil mill effluent (POME) for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production, using oleic acid (C18:1) as a defined carbon substrate. Fourteen bacterial colonies were successfully isolated and screened for intracellular PHA accumulation via Nile Red fluorescence staining, using mineral salts medium (MSM) supplemented with C/N ratio of 20:1. Five isolates (P5, P6, P12, P13, and P14) exhibited significant fluorescence intensity, with isolate P6 showing the highest (16,698.4 A.U.), indicating strong PHA biosynthesis. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of both saturated and unsaturated PHA monomers, confirming the conversion of oleic acid into medium- and long-chain-length PHA. FTIR analysis further validated the polymer structure through characteristic absorption bands of PHA functional groups. Molecular identification via 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that isolate P6 shares 94.06% homology with Klebsiella pneumoniae. The ability of K. pneumoniae P6 to produce a diverse range of PHA monomers highlights its potential as an industrially relevant biopolymer for sustainable bioplastic production.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	identification, Klebsiella pneumoniae, polyhydroxyalkanoates, POME, wastewater
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology T Technology > TP Chemical technology > TP248.13 Biotechnology
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Science Kulliyyah of Science > Department of Biotechnology
Depositing User:	DR NOR FAEZAH ANSARI
Date Deposited:	17 Dec 2025 12:47
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2025 12:47
Queue Number:	2025-12-Q638
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/125344

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