Studies On Depolymerase Enzymes For Biofilm Control

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine the effect of surface on biofilm formation and mainly to study the efficiency of depolymerase enzyme in biofilm control. Total 7 samples were collected from 3 different industrial sites in Patiala. A total of 200 bacterial isolates were screened for high biofilm formation and out of these, 4 were selected with maximum biofilm forming ability. The growth profile and biofilm formation were established under optimal conditions. Characterization of the biofilm revealed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was comprised primarily of carbohydrates followed by proteins and a minor fraction of lipids. Biofilm formation could be established on several (PVC, glass, stainless steel) surfaces commonly used in industries. The efficiency of 3 depolymerase enzymes (proteases, lipases, α-amylases) individually and in combination was evaluated against biofilm formed by bacterial isolates. Results demonstrated that lipases exhibited a maximum reduction of 74%, followed by proteases (69.1%) and α-amylases (66.6%). Further cocktail effect of the enzymes exhibited 80% reduction in the biofilm formation. Results of this study suggest the possibility of enzymatic application for reducing biofilms produced by environmental bacterial isolates.