Isolation and Partial Characterization of Crude Cellulose- Free Xylanase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Staphylococcus Aureus For Possible Use In Paper Industry

The study was to isolate and characterize crude cellulase-free xylanase from bacteria isolated from soil. The bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, secreted extracellular xylanase along side cellulase when grown in submerged media supplemented with glucose. Xylanase and cellulase activity were determined using birch wood xylan and carboxymethylcellulose as substrates respectively at 24hour interval. Optimum xylanase activity of 8.10X10-3 µmol/ml and 6.13x10-3 µmol/ml were obtained after 48 hours of incubation respectively. Also, optimum cellulase activity after 72 hours of incubation for both bacteria was 12.24 mmol/L and 6.35 mmol/L. The two bacteria had optimum xylanase activity at 60oC. Thermostability study showed that crude xylanase from both bacteria retained about 50% residual activity after incubating the enzyme for 210 minutes at the optimum temperature of 60oC. The result revealed that both bacteria are likely potential candidates for production of relatively cellulase-free xylanase that may be beneficial in biobleaching.