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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Thirty four samples of naturally decomposing waste material were collected from rural and urban parts of Western Maharashtra from which 64 bacteria, 49 fungi and 63 actinomycetes strains were isolated. The isolates were screened for cellulolytic activity on Czapek’s mineral salt agar media amended with carboxymethyl cellulose. Seventeen bacteria, thirty fungi and fifty seven actinomycetes isolates showed zone clearance indicating cellulase enzyme activity. Functional potential of most efficient cellulolytic microorganisms which include seventeen bacteria, twenty fungi and nineteen actinomycetes isolates was confirmed by endoglucanase assay. Among bacterial isolates, highest endoglucanase activity was recorded in isolate B-30 (0.130 U/ml), among fungal isolates the maximum activity was shown by isolate F-13 (0.099 U/ml) while among actinomycetes isolates maximum enzyme activity was shown by isolate A-41 (0.204 U/ml). The cellulolytic microorganisms were identified on the basis of characterization. Based on cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics, bacterial isolates belonged to Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Cellulomonas, Staphylococcus and Micrococcus genera, where Bacillus was most predominant group. On the basis of colonial morphology and microscopic observations the cellulolytic fungi identified were Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger, while cellulolytic actinomycetes were identified as Streptomyces spp. on the basis of spore chain morphology and microscopic observations.