TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Isolate: The isolate is capable of growth in a medium of pH of 10-12.00. The bacterial isolate is capable of lowering high pH of 12.0-11.5 of beverage industrial wastewater to neutral pH (7.5-7.00) within 1-1.5 hours in ratio of 1:5-1:10. The bacterial isolate is obtained from activated sludge of an effluent treatment plant of beverage industry located in Ghaziabad, India. The bacterial isolate is Gram positive, non motile, rod shaped and oxidase negative, can hydrolyze starch, and produces acids from glycerol cellobiose, D-mannose, mannitol, methyl a-Dglucoside, amygdalin and arbutin.Preparation (claimed): Preparing a bacterium isolate of Exiguobacterium sp. (MTCC 5183) above useful in neutralization of alkaline waste water of beverage industry having a pH of 12.00-11.5 comprises enriching activated sludge contaminated with bacteria by providing a sludge extract in alkaline bacillus medium, culturing the bacteria, isolating the bacteria by centrifuging the culture after attaining the desired growth to obtain a pellet of bacterial cells, dissolving the pellet in phosphate buffer, neutralizing alkaline wastewater of beverage industry having pH of 12.00-11.5 by adding the obtained bacterial pellet. The contaminated activated sludge is obtained from the pipe of an effluent treatment plant of a beverage industry located in Ghaziabad, India. Enrichment of the sludge is effected for 40-48 hours at 100-120 rpm at 33-35degreesC in ratio of activated sludge to medium of 1:5-1:10. Culturing of the bacteria is carried out in an alkaline bacillus medium and at a pH of 11.00-12.00 and at 34-37degreesC. The bacteria are isolated by centrifuging the culture after a growth evidenced by an optical density of 1.5-2.0. The enrichment of the sludge is carried out by taking 5-7 g of fresh activated sludge in an autoclaved flask containing 100-110 ml sludge extract, 50 mul Candid B anti fungal and alkaline bacillus medium. The sludge extract is prepared by centrifuging the sterilized sludge mixture at 4000 rpm for 20 min. Sterilized sludge mixture is prepared by dissolving activated sludge in distilled water in ratio of 1:5-1:10 and autoclaving at 15 psi for one hour. The alkaline bacillus medium contains peptone, yeast extract, glucose, K2HPO4 and Na2CO3 in ratio of 1.0:0.5:1.0:0.11.0 by W/V. The ratio between the sludge extract and the alkaline bacillus medium is 1:5-1:10. The isolated bacterial isolate is cultured under defined conditions of media, temperature, pH and carbon source. The bacterium is cultured under defined conditions using alkaline bacillus medium followed by incubation at 32-37degreesC/80 120 rpm 8 hour for neutralizing the alkaline beverage industrial wastewater. The grown culture is centrifuged after attaining the heavy growth evidenced by optical density in the range of 2-2.5. The bacterial pellet is dissolved in phosphate buffer. The bacterium Exiguobacterium sp. is used as a whole cell.