Kinetic characterization of the extracellular xylanases of Thermomonospora sp.

Abstract
This study deals with characterizing the extracellular xylanases produced by a strain of the thermophilic bacterial genus Thermomonospora. Supernatant from centrifuged fermentation broth was used as a crude enzyme preparation. From pH 5.5 to pH 7.7 the temperature optimum based on a 10‐min assay of activity was 80°C. The crude enzyme had a half‐life of approximately 1 month when stored at 55°C at pH 6.5. The enzyme produced a mixture of xylose oligomers from xylan, with xylobiose occuring in greatest quantity on a molar basis. Only trace quantities of xylose were produced by this hydrolysis.