INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE OF HALOPHILIC BACTERIA

Abstract

Halophile is a collective name ascribed to organisms capable of surviving in hypersaline environments by their ability to maintain osmotic balance. They are capable of doing so by accumulating salts such as KCl and NaCl within their cytoplasm to such a concentration that it becomes isotonic with the environment. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic group of organisms have been identified under the category of halophiles. During the last few decades, in the wake of the growing industrial utility of extremophilic microbes, there has been great interest among researchers to explore hypersaline environments for halophilic bacteria with some industrial utility. They are known to produce a variety of products such as light receptor proteins, bioplastic, enzymes, biosurfactants etc. This article highlights some of the latest biotechnological applications of halophilic bacteria.