High endo-β-1,4-d-glucanase activity in a broad pH range from the alkali-tolerant Nocardiopsis sp. SES28

Summary The strain SES28 was isolated from an indoor contaminated agar plate during a screening program for alkaliphilic CM-cellulose-degrading bacteria. It showed a prominent clear hydrolysis of the substrate at pH 10. The 16S rDNA analysis related it to the genus Nocardiopsis . Nocardiopsis sp. SES28 was able to grow at pH values up to 10.5, the major biomass being produced at pH 10, and pH 8 was the optimum for β-1,4-glucanase production. The optimum pH for β-1,4-glucanase activity was 9.0, and it was higher than 60% throughout the pH range 6.5–10.0; showing 94% of its a relative activity at pH 10. The feature of this bacterium to produce β-1,4-glucanase active in a broad pH-range might be useful for detergent- and textile-processing technologies.