Characterization of anthranilic acid produced by Virgibacillus salarius MML1918 and its bio-imaging application

Anthranilic acid (AA) holds significant importance in the chemical industry. It serves as a crucial building block for the amino acid tryptophan by manipulating the tryptophan biosynthesis pathway, it is possible to increase the production of anthranilic acid. In this study, we utilized metabolic engineering approaches to produce anthranilic acid from the halophilic bacterium Virgibacillus salarius MML1918. The halophilic bacteria were grown in an optimized production medium, and mass production of secondary metabolites was made in ATCC medium 1097 Proteose peptone—for halophilic bacteria and subjected to column chromatography followed by sub-column chromatography the single band for the purified compound was confirmed. Further, various spectral analyses were made for the partially purified compounds, and fluorescence microscopy for fungal cell observation was performed. The purified compound was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and it was identified as 2-amino benzoic acid. The Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrum and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum also confirm the structural characteristic of 2-amino benzoic acid. The UV–Vis absorption spectrum of AA shows the maximum absorption at 337.86 nm. The emission spectrum of 2-amino benzoic acid showed the maximum emission at 453 nm. The bio-imaging application of 2-amino benzoic acid was examined with fungal mycelium of Rhizoctonia solani. It was effectively bound and emitted the blue color at the concentration of 200 and 300 µg/mL. The halophilic bacterium (V. salarius), may have unique metabolic pathways and requirements compared to non-halophilic organisms, to produce AA effectively. This could have implications for industrial biotechnology, particularly in manufacturing environments where high salt concentrations are present and also it can be used as bio-imaging agent.