Ralstonia picketti TS1: isolate found for its ability to degrade glycerol in glycerol-based soap

Bacteria are ubiquitous in nature, and the majority of them are contaminating and pathogenic in nature. These are the diversified organisms with an ability to grow in a wide range of conditions and environments. Glycerol is a polyol compound, a major constituent of soaps. A novel isolate was observed in contamination on glycerol-based soap by growing on it. The current study focused on isolating the organism, followed by screening tests, along with microbial identification by 16S rRNA sequencing and taxonomical classification. The isolate was isolated from the contaminated glycerin-based soap by primary screening with glycerol degradation using MB1 + 3% glycerol agar plates, where it showed the ability to degrade/utilise glycerol as its sole carbon source. The isolate was further studied by growing them under elevated glycerol concentrations like 3%, 6%, and 10% at varying pH from 6 to 10. This strain showed significant glycerol-degrading activity, which is evident from its rapid growth at pH 9 even after 6.5 days of incubation with an absorbance value of 8.01 ± 0.18 at 600 nm. Later, molecular characterization was performed by 16SrRNA sequencing and phylogenetic tree construction. This analysis unravels the identity of the organism as Ralstonia picketti, and the isolate was named as TS1, in an arbitrary manner. This study concludes that Ralstonia picketti TS1, isolate identified, is having a potential of glycerol degradation in glycerol-based soap.