Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from the seed of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut. Other sources include yerba maté, guarana berries, guayusa, and yaupon holly. In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. It is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug, but, unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is both legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks, enjoyed with great popularity. Caffeine is toxic at sufficiently high doses, Caffeine overdose can result in a state of central nervous system over-stimulation called caffeine intoxication or colloquially the "caffeine jitters". The symptoms of caffeine intoxication are comparable to the symptoms of overdoses of other stimulants: they may include restlessness, fidgeting, anxiety, excitement, insomnia, flushing of the face, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular or rapid heartbeat, and psychomotor agitation. In cases of much larger overdoses, mania, depression, lapses in judgment, disorientation, disinhibition, delusions, hallucinations, or psychosis may occur, and rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) can be provoked. By considering this in the present study a bacterium halotolerant Pseudomonas alcaligenes N-58 is isolated from saline soils of Kolhapur District of Maharashtra. The isolate Pseudomonas alcaligenes N-58 was identified by 16srRNA analysis. Detoxification study indicated that the isolate degrades caffeine completely into non-toxic products at 37OC, 120 rpm agitation, within 48 hours of inoculation. The study indicated that the isolate Pseudomonas alcaligenes N-58 can be used in the detoxification of caffeine from the soft drinks and other caffeine-containing drinks.
