Cultivation of Halophilic Hydrocarbon Degraders

Few extremely halophilic hydrocarbon-degrading microbes have been grown in pure culture, and so in this chapter we outline some of the strategies that have been successfully adopted, with primary consideration to enhancing the bioavailability of hydrocarbons at high salinity. A minimal medium is presented, but it should be considered only as a starting point, and adapted to reflect the salt composition of the environment. General strategies for growing previously uncultivated microbes are briefly reviewed, and the approaches used to add hydrocarbons to media are also considered. In order to increase the chances of cultivating halophilic hydrocarbon degraders, we suggest that the growth medium is prepared or supplemented with brine from the environment under study.