Livestock feed just got a major boost with discovery of cold-active enzymes
Researchers isolated a bacterium called Bacillus licheniformis DK42 from pig feces that produces cellulase and xylanase enzymes. The cellulase enzyme activity increased during the mid-log phase of bacterial growth and remained stable during the stationary phase. Xylanase activity increased steadily from the early to late log phase, reaching maximum activity in the late log phase. Cellulase showed optimal activity at 45℃ and pH 6.0, while xylanase had optimal activity at 55℃ and pH 6.0. Cellulase maintained 50% of its activity even at 10℃, indicating it is cold-active. Both enzymes were stable at 35℃ for 2 hours but lost activity at 65℃ after 30 minutes.