Microbial Diversity in Decaying Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) and Isolation of Lignin-degrading Bacteria from a Tropical Environment

Analhuda Abdullah Tahir; Nor Farhana Mohd Barnoh; Nurtasbiyah Yusof; Nuurul Nadrah Mohd Said; Motoo Utsumi; Ang May Yen; Hazni Hashim; Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor; Fazrena Nadia MD Akhir; Shaza Eva Mohamad; Norio Sugiura; Nor’azizi Othman; Zuriati Zakaria; Hirofumi Hara

doi:10.1264/jsme2.ME18117

Regular Papers

Microbial Diversity in Decaying Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) and Isolation of Lignin-degrading Bacteria from a Tropical Environment

Analhuda Abdullah Tahir, Nor Farhana Mohd Barnoh, Nurtasbiyah Yusof, Nuurul Nadrah Mohd Said, Motoo Utsumi, Ang May Yen, Hazni Hashim, Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor, Fazrena Nadia MD Akhir, Shaza Eva Mohamad, Norio Sugiura, Nor’azizi Othman, Zuriati Zakaria, Hirofumi Hara

Author information

Analhuda Abdullah Tahir
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nor Farhana Mohd Barnoh
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nurtasbiyah Yusof
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nuurul Nadrah Mohd Said
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Motoo Utsumi
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba
Ang May Yen
Analytical and Scientific Instruments Division, Shimadzu Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Hazni Hashim
Analytical and Scientific Instruments Division, Shimadzu Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Fazrena Nadia MD Akhir
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Shaza Eva Mohamad
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Norio Sugiura
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba
Nor’azizi Othman
Department of Mechanical Precision Engineering, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Zuriati Zakaria
Department of Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Hirofumi Hara Corresponding author
Department of Chemical Process Engineering, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Keywords: microbial diversity, lignocellulose degradation, tropical region, lignin degradation

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Supplementary material

2019 Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 161-168

DOI https://doi.org/10.1264/jsme2.ME18117

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Abstract

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) are the most abundant, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly lignocellulosic biomass in Malaysia. Investigations on the microbial diversity of decaying OPEFB may reveal microbes with complex enzymes that have the potential to enhance the conversion of lignocellulose into second-generation biofuels as well as the production of other value-added products. In the present study, fungal and bacterial diversities in decaying OPEFB were identified using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene and V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene. Fungal diversity in decaying OPEFB was dominated by the phylum Ascomycota (14.43%), while most of the bacterial sequences retrieved belonged to Proteobacteria (76.71%). Three bacterial strains isolated from decaying OPEFB, designated as S18, S20, and S36, appeared to grow with extracted OPEFB-lignin and Kraft lignin (KL) as the sole carbon source. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the 3 isolates as Paenibacillus sp.. The molecular weight distribution of KL before and after degradation showed significant depolymerization when treated with bacterial strains S18, S20, and S36. The presence of low-molecular-weight lignin-related compounds, such as vanillin and 2-methoxyphenol derivatives, which were detected by a GC-MS analysis, confirmed the KL-degrading activities of isolated Paenibacillus strains.

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