Phenotypic and Phylogenetic Characterization of Cellulose Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Rumen of Buffalo

Use of probiotic as rumen modifier to improve fibre digestibility need an elite microbe with high enzyme profile. To obtain a microbe with high fibre degrading ability, ten cellulose degrading bacteria were isolated and screened for avicelase activity and six were selected for further characterization. The avicelase activity ranged from a minimum of 3.01 units/ml in FDBB7 to a maximum 10.81 U/ml in FDBB5. All the isolates were Gram negative, non motile, strict anaerobes, positive for gas production and gelatine liquefaction and negative for catalase activity. Most of the isolates were able to utilize majority of the sugars/carbohydrates tested except arabinose and glycerol which were poorly utilized. The metabolites produced due to fermentation by the isolates were ammonia nitrogen, lactic acid and volatile fatty acids. The biochemical profile of the isolates was similar to Ruminococcus flavefaciens which was also confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of the isolates. The data indicate that the isolates with high fibre degrading activity can be explored to be used as probiotic to improve fibre digestibility in ruminants.