Extracellular lipase production from Bacillus cereus by using agro-industrial waste

Lipases are crucial biocatalysts in various industrial applications, and there is considerable interest in developing sustainable methods for their synthesis. This study focuses on the isolation, screening, and comparison of Bacillus cereus strains to produce extracellular lipases utilizing agro-industrial waste through solid-state fermentation. The results indicate that B. cereus exhibited optimal lipase production with soybean extract, yielding 41.2 ± 1.08 µ/ml (p < 0.05), followed by bagasse with 40.5 ± 0.97 µ/ml (p < 0.05). Other substrates, including rice bran (9.9 µ/ml), wheat bran (25.8 µ/ml), sunflower seed (24.0 µ/ml), and oat bran (10.2 µ/ml), demonstrated significantly lower enzyme activity. Additionally, lipase production from fruit peels was assessed, with banana yielding 21.1 µ/ml, orange 20.3 µ/ml, melon 16.3 µ/ml, and watermelon 16.43 µ/ml. Various oil wastes were also evaluated, showing lipase activities of 14.6 µ/ml (Sitara oil), 13.3 µ/ml (Shan oil), 11.0 µ/ml (automobile oil), and 10.2 µ/ml (cooking oil). The bacterial lipases produced from B. cereus demonstrated maximum hydrolysis of tributyrin agar medium at 40°C (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that utilizing different agro-industrial wastes for the production of extracellular lipase could help mitigate environmental pollution while providing a viable option for commercial enzyme production.