Characterization of novel cellulase and glucose isomerase-producing bacteria and optimization of the enzyme production conditions and their potential applications in environment and industry

Abstract

Cellulases and glucose isomerases are vital enzymes in converting cellulose into fructose. Cellulases catalyze cellulose conversion to glucose, while glucose isomerase catalyzes the reversible isomerization of glucose to fructose. There is a growing interest lately in producing bio-based chemicals and materials from fructose. Soil bacteria produce these enzymes. The characterization of bacteria for enzyme saccharification of biomass is essential for fructose production and reducing the time and cost of current bioconversion processes. From this perspective, we characterized novel cellulase and glucose isomerase-producing bacteria from soil samples and optimize their enzyme production. Coculturing and whole-cell immobilization for glucose isomerase and bacterial resistance to environmental factors were also investigated. Six bacterial strains, Paenarthrobacter sp. MKAL1, Hymenobacter sp. MKAL2, Mycobacterium sp. MKAL3, Stenotrophomonas sp. MKAL4, Chryseobacterium sp. MKAL5 and Bacillus sp. MKAL6 were isolated from mixture soil samples collected at Kingfisher Lake and the University of Manitoba campus and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Using plate assay techniques, these strains were selected for cellulase and glucose isomerase production based on the clearance zone appearance. These strains displayed various morphological and biochemical characteristics. [...]