XYLANOLYTIC ABILITY OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM CORN COBS COLLECTED FROM DUMP SITES IN OYE EKITI, SOUTH WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Lignocellulosic materials are potential sources of various microorganisms of industrial importance. Though the uses of these materials have been on the increase, little attention has been paid to potentiality of the bacteria from them. The aim of this work was to investigate the ability of bacteria from corn cob in the production of xylanase. Bacteria were isolated from corn cob collected from dump sites in Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The isolates were characterized using standard microbiological techniques. Five xylanase producing bacteria were isolated. Three of them are Pseudomonas aeruginosa (XA1, XA2 and NA2), one Pseudomonas putida (NA1) and one Bacillus sp.(XA3). The isolates (XA1, XA2 and NA2) with substantial xylanase production were scrutinized to quantify the amount of the enzyme produced, using different concentrations of xylan, carbon sources, nitrogen sources and pHs. Maximum amount of xylanase (14.5 mg/mL) was produced by Pseudomonas sp. NA2 in the presence of sucrose. Effect of diferent agro-industrial wastes and incubation time were also investigated on the production of xylanase. Corn cob elicited the highest enzyme production (1.168mg/mL) after 48hr of incubation of isolate NA2 while XA1 gave the least value (0.016mg/mL) of the enzyme after 72hr of incubation. These isolates can be of tremendous advantage in the production of xylanase and in the treatment of agro-industrial wastes.