Evaluation by MALDI-TOF MS and PCA of the diversity of biosurfactants and their producing bacteria, as adaption to weathered oil components

(SA6). The functional diversity of the biosurfactants was demonstrated by PCA analysis which allowed their further clustering based on the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. These findings clearly showed that two types of adaptations occur with hydrocarbons degrading bacteria in the weathered-oily soils, one related to the bacterial cell composition maintaining the biosurfactants composition and one to the biosurfactants, which are the primary tool employed by the cell to interact with the weathered oil. This finding would shed light on the potential and strategies of applications for the bioremediation of highly weathered oil-contaminated soils.