ABSTRACT
Milk fat curdle in sewage is an intractable material for active sludge treatment under cold temperature conditions. Since dairy wastewater is discharged either untreated or only partially treated, the drainage from dairy farms and milk factories, as well as the wastewater from the cleaning milk transport pipes and tanks, may pollute rivers and groundwater. In an attempt to identify an appropriate agent for bio-remediation of milk fat curdle, fungi were collected from Skarvsnes ice-free area, East Antarctica. A total of 305 strains were isolated and tested for their ability to decompose milk fat on fresh cream agar at 10°C. The maximum growth temperature of Mrakia blollopis SK-4 was 22°C. Maximum growth temperatures of other related species are less than 20°C. M. blollopis SK-4 differed from the other strains in substrate utilization as well. The water temperature of actual dairy wastewater in Hokkaido, Japan may range from 3°C in winter to 25°C in summer.
