Folin-Ciocalteu assay as a rapid colourimetric screening method for evaluating PAH degradation abilities of heterotrophic bacteria.

Bioremediation using microbes is an eco-friendly approach being explored for reclaiming PAH-contaminated areas. However, isolation and screening of potential bacteria to degrade PAHs are very laborious and cumbersome. To alleviate this issue, we describe a rapid method for screening the bacterial cultures for their ability to degrade PAHs using Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) assay. Six hundred bacterial isolates were tested for their ability to degrade PAH using FC assay. The cultures capable of degrading PAH show blue colouration, resulting from the reaction of FC reagent with phenolic intermediates generated during PAH degradation. Out of the 600 cultures screened, 64 showed an ability to degrade PAH. This study provides a very easy, rapid, less laborious, and sensitive method to screen a large number of bacterial cultures for their ability to degrade PAH. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03549-4.