African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5236

Full Length Research Paper

Thermotolerant bacteria of biotechnological potential from hot springs in Eritrea

Amanuel Menghs Ghilamicael
  • Amanuel Menghs Ghilamicael
  • Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Google Scholar
Nancy L. M. Budambula
  • Nancy L. M. Budambula
  • Board of Postgraduate Studies, University of Embu, Embu, Kenya.
  • Google Scholar
Sylvester Elkana Anami
  • Sylvester Elkana Anami
  • Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Google Scholar
Tadesse Mehari
  • Tadesse Mehari
  • National Commission for Higher Education in Eritrea, Asmara, Eritrea.
  • Google Scholar
Hamadi Iddi Boga
  • Hamadi Iddi Boga
  • Vice Chancellor’s Office, Taita Taveta University, Taita, Kenya.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Accepted: 13 April 2018
  •  Published: 14 June 2018

Abstract

Thermophiles are excellent sources of enzymes that can withstand and carry out reactions efficiently under high temperatures. This study isolated and characterised thermotolerant bacteria that produce enzymes of potential industrial value from five hot springs in Eritrea. A total of 65 bacterial isolates were obtained from the five hot springs. Out of the 65 isolates; 19 isolates produced a positive reaction for amylases, 36 for carboxymethyl cellulases, eight for proteases, 10 for xylanases and 11 for pectinases. More than half (36 out of 65) were able to produce carboxymethyl cellulases. Six isolates which showed carboxymethyl cellulase activity were from the genus Bacillus, while those belonging to Brevibacillus were seven. BLAST analysis of the partial sequences showed that 19 out of the 24 isolates sequenced showed high similarity (> 99%) to those of reference strains of the genera Bacillus and Brevibacillus available in the Genebank and EZ-taxon databases. The five isolates (E5, G2, G8, M1 and M13) that showed moderate similarities (97.2-99%) to strains from the Genebank and EZ-taxon databases were further characterized. Physiological characterization of the five selected isolates based on tolerance to NaCl, temperature and production of hydrolytic enzymes indicated that these isolates are potentially novel. Isolates G8 and M13 showed significantly higher amylase activity (p < 0.05) than the other three isolates. Caseinase activity recorded by the five isolates was the highest (p < 0.05) compared to other enzyme activities. The enzymes produced by thermotolerant bacteria from the five hot springs may be potentially useful for catalysis under harsh operational conditions encountered in industrial processes.

Key words: Thermphilic, bacteria, thermozymes, hot springs, Eritrea.