Xylanase from Neobacillus sedimentimangrovi UE25: Characterization, purification and applications

Considering various industrial applications of thermostable xylanases and scarcity of data available on xylan degradation potential of the Neobacillus species, this study was designed to characterize xylanase produced by the thermophilic strain of N. sedimentimangrovi UE25 using sugarcane bagasse as a carbon source. Xylanase was characterized by adopting a Central Composite design (CCD), which has not been reported earlier for this purpose. The enzyme exhibited thermal stability over a range of temperatures from 50 to 80 °C and its optimal activity was obtained at 65 °C and pH 4.0. The enzyme did not lose its activity for approximately 13 days when kept at 4 °C and retained 84% of its catalytic activity even after 2.5 h of incubation at 65 °C. Various metals and chemicals resulted in enhanced xylanase activity when mixed with this enzyme. Moreover, xylanase was purified by ion exchange chromatography, and its molecular weight was estimated to be ∼60 kDa. The purified xylanase was applied in a saccharification process to improve the total phenolic content (90 mg GAE/g) of the biomass of a halophytic plant, Ipomoea pes-caprae.