Solid Media Containing Carboxymethylcellulose to Detect Cx Cellulase Activity of Micro-organisms

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Abstract
Solid media containing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were developed to detect Cx cellulase-producing microorganisms. Hydrolysis of CMC was seen as a clear zone around colonies after flooding plates with 1% aqueous hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. Tests with 10 bacterial [Streptomyces spp., and Cellulomonas spp.] and 4 fungal species [Trichoderma viride, Peziza ostracoderma, Penicillium sp., and Fusarium sp.] showed that the degree of substitution (DS) of the CMC affects growth and enzyme production. Most of the organisms produced more Cx cellulase on CMC with a DS of 0.9, but CMC with a DS of 0.4 was better for 1 fungus [T. viride]. A qualitative measure of cellulase production may be obtained by calculating the ratio of zone size to colony diameter. Solid media containing CMC provided a more rapid assay of Cx cellulase production than a medium containing native cellulose.