In the course of investigation of aromatic hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria, a certain strain S668B2 was found to produce a large amount of p-toluic acid from p-xylene.
Strain S668B2 was shown to be capable of producing an ultraviolet-absorbing substance from p-xylene. This substance was isolated in the form crystal and identified to p-toluic acid by several observations.
From the results of taxonomic studies on S668B2, it was identified to be Psuedomonas species.
The optimal medium composition and culture condition were studied in order to increase p-toluic acid production. The addition of CaCO₃ was favorable for the p-toluic acid production. The amount of p-toluic acid formation increased from 0.4g/l to 3.4g/1 after the investigation of optimal culture condition.

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