PRODUCTION OF INDIGO BY ENZYMIC METHOD

摘要

PURPOSE:To industrially and advantageously obtain indigo according to an enzymic method by pretreating a microbial cell which belongs to the genus Pseudomonas and has the ability to produce the indigo with an organic solvent and then reacting the resultant microbial cell or its treated substance with an aqueous solution containing indole. CONSTITUTION:A microbial cell/ belongs to the genus Pseudomonas and has the ability to produce indigo [e.g. Pseudomonas sp. MY-6 strain (FERM P-11963)] is inoculated into a culture medium and cultured at 30 deg.C for 24hr by shaking and the resultant culture solution is then centrifuged to collect the microorganism. The collected microbial cell thereof is then suspended in a 0.1 M phosphoric acid buffer solution (pH7) and an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol or acetone is added to the microbial cell suspension. The prepared suspension is subsequently allowed to stand at 37 deg.C for 2hr and treated with the organic solvent. The microbial cell or its treated substance is suspended in an aqueous solution containing indole, placed in a ventilating stirrer and made to react at 30 deg.C for 48hr to efficiently afford the indigo useful as an industrial dye from the indole in high yield by using the enzymic method.