Isolation of Halophilic Bacteria and Their Screening for Extracellular Enzyme Production

Abstract

Halophiles are those microorganisms which are found at high salt concentration. These microorganisms have the capability to form a wide array of bioactive substances that have different applications in various industries. This work focussed at the isolation and screening of various halophilic bacterial strains from different places in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Using a complete medium with different salt concentrations, 70 halophilic bacteria were isolated from 4 different sites. These isolated bacteria were then examined and screened out for the synthesis of different extracellular enzymes, such as cellulase, lipase and amylase. Out of the total, 24 isolates were found positive for amylase, 9 for lipase and 16 for cellulase. These enzymes can perform the hydrolytic activity at high salt concentrations. The various halophilic bacterial strains isolated from various places show a prospective for use in a range of biotechnological and molecular biology experiments and the extremozymes obtained from these bacteria have great industrial importance.