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Microbial production of xylanase is gaining attention commercially, due to its wide industrial as well as
biotechnological applications, specially in the form of thermostable xylanase. The production cost is one
of the major limiting factor indicating the need for low cost production systems. Anoxybacillus sp. Ip-C, a
thermophilic xylanolytic bacteria isolated from hot spring of Ladakh, was used to produce thermostable,
thermoalkaline and cellulose free xylanase from cheap agricultural sources such as sugarcane bagasse,
wheat husk and corn cobs. Extractions of xylan from agricultural wastes under dilute sulphuric acid and
alkaline conditions were performed, and this xylan was used as substrate for production of
thermoalkaline xylanase as well as valuable xylooligosaccharides. The maximum xylan recovery of 49%
was found from sugar cane bagasse (10% sodium hydroxide along with steam application) in comparison
to wheat husk (42%) and corn cobs (40%). Analysis of hydrolyzed culture broth showed significant
amount of xylooligosaccharides (xylose 1.2 mg/ml; xylobiose 0.95 mg/ml; xylotriose 0.97 mg/ml &
xylotetrose 0.78 mg/ml) production. This study not only indicated the significance of sugarcane bagasse
in cost effective production of xylanase by Anoxybacillus sp. Ip-C, that may be used potentially for
increasing productivity and nutrient digestibility of farm animals as well as in various industrial
applications but also established its potentiality as a raw material for extraction of xylan and its
conversion into xylooligosaccharides, an emerging prebiotic.
Keywords: Sugar cane bagasse, Anoxybacillus sp. Ip-C, xylanase, cost effective, xylooligosaccharides.