Xylan Production from Corn Cobs for Isolation of Xylanase-Producing Bacteria

Abstract

Abstract Xylan can be enzymatically degraded to establish environmentally tolerable and eco- friendly processes for the production of alcohol and others. It can be produced from agro- industrial wastes which is rich in lignocellulosic content, like corn cobs. However, there is still problem with the purity. This study investigated production of xylan from corn cobs for isolation of xylanase-producing bacteria. Raw material used in this study was corn cobs. The experiment was set up in complete randomized design with treatments of water soaking ratio (1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) and soaking repetitions (1, 2, and 3), in three replications. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that between water soaking ratio and soaking repetitions have significantly different of their physicochemical characteristics (p<0.05). The best water soaking ratio and soaking repetitions was 1:2 for three soaking, with NaCl content of 0.17%, yield of 6.66%, and water content of 5.62%. Xylan produced from the best treatments used for isolation of xylanase- producing bacteria. Xylan with concentration of 1% can be used for isolation of xylanase- producing bacteria from specimens of mixture of decayed wood and sand, with potential index of 0.71, enzyme activity of 140.85 U/ml, specific enzyme activity of 319.788 U/mg protein and namely Bacillus pumilus B21.