Bioprospecting studies of pigmenting Pseudomonas aeruginosa SU-1, Microvirga aerilata SU14 and Bacillus megaterium SU15 isolated from garden soil

Microbes that live in soil face more adverse environments, to adapt to the conditions they produce certain biomolecules or enzymes, where these metabolites or enzymes have industrial or biomedical applications. Some microorganisms produce carotenoid pigments for protecting themselves from photo-oxidative damage, whereas the pyocyanin pigment produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa increases its pathogenicity. These pigments have much more applications too. In this present study, three pigment producing organisms like were isolated from soil. Pigment production by these organisms was optimized and the produced pigments were analyzed for their bioactivity. The pigment from Bacillus megaterium SU 15 was found to be with antibacterial and antioxidant property. All the isolated organisms were also checked for their ability to produce enzymes. Microvirga aerilata SU 14 and Bacillus megaterium SU 15 were found to produce amylase, thus optimization and characterization of amylase was done.