New Application of Produced Pigment from Bacteria to Detect of Ammonia in Combination with Flow Injection for Ammonia Analysis

Abstract

A novel detection method for ammonium ions based on a spectrophotometric FIA (Flow Injection Analysis) with use of pyocyanine as a coloring reagent in combination with micro fluidic gas diffusion device was developed in this study. A blue pigment produced by microorganisms was isolated, characterized and then, applied to an FIA　(Flow Injection Analysis) as a coloring reagent followed by investigation of the properties. The pigment was separated by a silica-gel column chromatography, and the molecular weight was determined by EI-MS. The structure was analyzed by 1H-NMR. The isolated compound was found to be identical to pyocyanine. The pigment-producing microorganism was identified as Pseudomonas sp. from 16S DNA analysis. Noting that the property of the pyocyanine of which absorbance depended on the pH shift, the compound as a coloring reagent was applied to an FIA for determinaiton of ammonium ions.