Bioremediation potential of cooking oil-degrading microbes from food processing and restaurant wastewater

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) pollution from the food industry poses significant environmental and economic challenges, contributing to wastewater blockages and river contamination. Traditional physical treatments, such as precipitation and oil-water separation, are costly, labour-intensive, and generate secondary waste. Microbe-based biological treatment has emerged as a safer and more effective alternative. This study aims to isolate and characterise oil-degrading microbes from wastewater produced by food processing factories and restaurants in Malaysia. Four microbial strains—Acinetobacter oryzae MSMA-I1, A. piscicola MSMA-I2, Candida palmioleophila MSMAA3, and A. guillouiae MSMA-A7—were identified through biochemical and molecular testing. The isolates demonstrated high growth rates and emulsification activity when incubated with 2% cooking oil as the sole carbon source for 72 hours. These strains also exhibited resilience at temperatures of 25–37 °C and pH 6–9, conditions typical of Malaysian wastewater. Gravimetric analysis showed that isolates I2, A3, and A7 achieved oil degradation rates exceeding 50%, while isolate I1 exhibited lower efficiency at 31.58%. This study provides valuable microbial candidates for the efficient bioremediation of FOG in food industry wastewater, offering a sustainable solution to environmental pollution.

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