SCREENING FOR LIPASE PRODUCTION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF BACILLUS SUBTERRANEOUS AND PROVIDENCIA ALCALIFACIENS SOURCED FROM ABBATOIR SOILS

Abstract

Abattoir is one of the most pronounced but yet ignored sources of microorganisms that have the potential of utilization for the production of value added products such as organic acids, enzymes among others. This study was aimed at identification as well as screening for lipase production of the microorganisms isolated from abattoir soil. Soil samples were collected from different abattoirs namely, Tudun wada, Kurmin Mashi, Kabala Costain and Kawo abattoirs in Kaduna metropolis. Isolation of bacteria that have the potential of producing lipase was carried out, followed by phenotypic and molecular identification using standard protocols. The pure cultures of the isolates were subjected to screening for their potential to produce lipase using Tributyrin Agar supplemented with tributyrate. Twenty three (23) bacterial species were isolated with Pseudomonas sp and Bacillus sp having the highest frequency of occurrence (26%) while the least isolated bacteria were Enterobacter sp and E. coli (8.69%). Ten isolates (43.5%) out of the 23 screened shows zones of lipolysis at different ranges of diameter, among which Bacillus sp (8.9mm) and Providencia sp (7.6mm) exhibited the highest potential to produce lipase by producing lipolytic zone around the colonies after screening (those with 5mm upward) were selected for further studies. Molecular identification of the best lipase producers revealed Bacillus subterraneous and Providencia alcalifaciens. This study provides an insight on the microbial species found in abattoir soil in Kaduna, Nigeria which was identified using molecular approach with the potential of producing lipase that finds usage in detergent, textile, pharmaceutical industries among others, paving the way for future studies on optimizing microbial bioremediation strategies.

Keywords: Bacillus subterraneous, Providencia Alcalifaciens, 16SrRNA, Abattoir Soil.