Optimisation of growth conditions of Bacillus subtilis isolated from clinically obese patients in medium supplemented with prebiotic Gum Arabic

Abstract

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been researched as one of the main factors causing obesity. The imbalance of the microorganisms in the gut affects the digestion process which causes the accumulation of visceral fat in the body. Treatment of obesity has been introduced in the form of prebiotics and probiotics as an alternative approach to control the increasing rate of obesity issue. Bacillus subtilis is a probiotic bacteria which can be obtained from fermented foods such as natto. In this research, B. subtilis was isolated and characterised by using macroscopic and microscopic features. The isolation process is performed using the spread plate and streak plate method. The bacteria is an aerobic, Gram positive bacteria with shows a negative result for methyl red test and positive result for catalase, starch hydrolysis and Voges – Proskauer test. A growth analysis also shows the response of B. subtilis towards glucose and GA as a carbon source.