ISOLATION, SELECTION AND ENHANCED CELLULASE PRODUCTION OF TH-VK22 AND TH-VK24 BACTERIAL STRAINS

Abstract

Microorganisms play an important role in the movement of nutrients through the biosphere, especially in conversion of plant-derived residues and wastes. Therefore, selection of bacterial strains and investigating the conditions for enhanced production of cellulase are necessary to provide a basis for the treatment of relevant plant-derived materials. In this study, of out 37 bacterial isolates, two strains THVK22 and TH-VK24 were selected for their high capacity of cellulase production. These two strains were later characterized and identify as Bacillus subtilis, namely B. subtilis TH-VK22 and B. subtilis THVK24. Both strains showed the ability to highly produce cellulase in a medium with a start pH of 4.0 at 37°C with 1% straw for TH-VK22 and 2% sawdust for TH-VK24, which showed the potential applications of these two bacterial strains in cellulose treatment in the acidic environment.