INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS - India Environment Portal

150
Proc. 98th Indian Science Congress, Part II : Abstracts of Oral/Poster Presentation
primary screening of 80 isolates on tributyrin containing nutrient agar plates and
further secondary screening of 30 lipase producing bacterial strains isolated from
various sources. After the optimization of production and reaction conditions,
it was found that strain TS-2 gave a maximum lipase activity in nutrient broth
media when 5% (v/v) of a 24 h old inoculum was used at 55ºC under shaking
conditions (150 rpm) for 36 h at pH 7. 5. Yeast extract (0. 3% w/v) and
mustard oil (1. 5% v/v) used as nitrogen and carbon source respectively, were
found to be best suited for optimal lipase production. The optimal activity given
by the enzyme was at temperature of 55ºC in Tris-HCl buffer pH 8. 5 when
incubated for 10 minutes. The lipase enzyme produced by strain TS-2 was found
to be thermostable at 55ºC and pH stable at pH 7. 5. At the end of optimization
of production and reaction conditions a 1. 88 fold increase in the lipase activity
was achieved.
190. Nitrile Degrading Activity of a Thermophilic Bacterium Isolated from
Manikaran Hot Spring in Himachal Pradesh
Mehta P. K., Bhatia S. K., Bhatia R. K., Kumar V.
and Bhalla T. C.*
Department of Biotechnology
HPU Shimla-05
Keywords : Nitrile hydratases, nitrilase, thermophile, thermo stability
Nitrile degrading enzymes catalyze the degradation of nitriles to the
corresponding amides and acids. Lot of work has been carried out on nitrile
degrading organisms, and some of them have been used industrially as
biocatalysts for production of amides and acids. Nitrile degrading organisms have
been found in various types of bacteria such as Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas,
Aspergillus, Nocardia, Brevibacterium. The nitrile degrading mesophilic organism
hitherto reported have not found to be not satisfactory catalysis because
of their relatively low thermostability. In the present studies a number of bacterial
isolates were isolated from hot springs of Himachal Pradesh (Manikarn,
Tattapani, Vashisht and Khir Ganga) to find a novel thermostable nitrile degrading
organism. Isolate MN-70, a versatile nitrile-amide degrading bacteria has been