ABSTRACT
@#Aims: The objective of this research was to isolate caffeine-degrading bacteria from coffee pulp waste in Indonesia andcharacterize their caffeine degradation activity.Methodology and results: The caffeine-degrading bacteria were isolated from coffee pulp wastes of Coffea arabicaand C. canephora. These isolates were selected based on their caffeine degradation activity. The identification andbiochemical properties of the best isolate were conducted via 16S rDNA sequence analyses and by using the Microbactkit. Meanwhile, caffeine degradation activity of this bacteria was analyzed by using LC-MS/MS. The results indicatedthat fourteen bacterial isolates were able to degrade caffeine. The highest caffeine degradation activity was performedby isolate KRM9 at the rate of 99.26 ± 0.01%, on a caffeine medium after 24 h of incubation. Based on the 16S rDNAanalyses, the KRM9 isolate was identified as Pseudomonas monteilii. Till present, this species has not been reported asa caffeine-degrading bacterium. However, LC-MS/MS analysis indicated that caffeine was degraded by P. monteiliiKRM9 and theobromine was not the secondary metabolite of caffeine degradation.Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Pseudomonas monteilii KRM9 was detected as a new isolate ofcaffeine-degrading bacteria. This bacterium can be introduced as an agent to degrade caffeine from coffee pulp waste. Itis expected that further research can be conducted on the overall mechanism of caffeine degradation by P. monteiliiKRM9