Cellulolytic and xylanolytic faecal bacteria from tedong bonga, [Toraja buffalo, Bubalus bubalis carabanesis]

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract of ruminants contains a considerable number of microbes that can utilize lignocellulosic biomass from plants. In this study, faecal samples of a local white spotted swamp buffalo or tedong bonga from North Toraja, South Sulawesi [Bubalus bubalis carabanesis] were investigated to aimed bacterial isolate that are capable of degrading both cellulose and xylan. Direct isolation and enrichment methods were performed by using selective medium containing 1% carboxymethyl cellulose [CMC] or xylan in the isolation process. Plate screening and enzyme quantification indicate that 11 out of 25 isolates have double actions of cellulase and xylanase with the range of 0.18-0.30 U/ml and 0.10-1.56 U/ml, respectively. Further, molecular identification using 16S rRNA gene for four selected isolates shows that three strains [KBX04, KBX07 and KBX08] were identical to Bacillus altitudinis 41KF2bT [100%] while another strain [KBX03] were identical to Cellulomonas flavigena DSM 20109T [99%]. We demonstrated that faeces from ruminants are a promising source for lignocellulose degrading bacteria that could be used for biomass conversion.