Design of a culture medium for optimal growth of the bacterium Pseudoxanthomonas indica H32 allowing its production as biopesticide and biofertilizer.

Culture medium composition is one of the most important parameters to analyze in biotechnological processes with industrial purposes. The aim of this study was to design of a culture medium for optimal growth of the bacterium Pseudoxanthomonas indica H32 allowing its production as biopesticide and biofertilizer. The influence of several carbon and nitrogen sources and their molar ratios on P. indica H32 growth was investigated. The effect of different micronutrients such as mineral salts and vitamin on P. indica H32 growth was determined as well. A mixture design based on Design-Expert 10.0 Software was performed to optimize the culture medium concentration. Finally, in the designed medium, an attribute of the biological mechanism of action of the P. indica H32 against nematodes, was evaluated: the hydrogen sulfide production. It was found that tested carbon/nitrogen ratios were not a significant influence on P. indica H32 growth. Growth of P. indica H32 was favored with use of sucrose, yeast extract and phosphate buffer without the addition of any tested micronutrients. An optimal concentration of 10 g/L sucrose and 5 g/L yeast extract were obtained at a cost of 0.10 $/L. In this concentration, the specific growth rate (µ) and maximal optical density (Xmax) were equal to 0.439 h and 8.00 respectively. It was evidenced that under the culture conditions used, P. indica H32 produced hydrogen sulfide. The designed medium led to a 1.08 $/L reduction of costs in comparison to LB medium. These results were critical to carry on with biotechnological development of P. indica H32 as a bioproduct.