Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Lipase Producing Bacteria from Wastewater of Golbahar Meat Products Factory in Khorramabad, Iran

Lipases are one of the most important catalysts in the detergent, dairy, and textile industries due to their biocatalytic activity in aqueous and non-aqueous media. Lipase-producing bacteria are effectively produced and used in various industries by screening their different habitats and optimizing fermentation parameters. The present study aimed to isolate and identify lipase-producing bacteria and investigate their characteristics due to the importance of finding new sources of lipase.

In the present study, wastewater samples from Golbahar Meat Products Factory in Khorramabad, Iran were screened for lipase-producing bacterial strains. The lipase-producing isolates were identified based on morphological and biochemical characterization as well as the 16S rRNA gene sequence. The culture medium parameters such as pH, incubation time, and temperature were varied for optimization.

Three isolates with high lipase activity were identified by screening wastewater samples from Golbahar Meat Products Factory in Khorramabad. The BLAST program indicated the highest sequence similarity of identified isolates of 16S rRNA genes with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Maximum lipase activity was recorded at 48 h of incubation. Moreover, the purified lipase demonstrated maximum activity at 45 °C and pH= 8.0.

The results of this study revealed that the extracellular lipases of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens isolates are alkaline ones and have relatively good temperature stability which can be used in various industries. Furthermore, the gene encoding lipase enzyme of these isolates can be useful in enzyme engineering and the lipase activity can be changed as desired by site-directed mutagenesis.