The cellulolytic enzyme-endoglucanase activity against coir fibre, a major biowaste by bacteria such as
Cellulomonas
,
Bacillus
and
Micrococcus
spp. isolated from coir retting effluents of estuarine environment was studied. The enzyme assay was carried out by using various concentrations (0.5 – 2%) of substrate of coir powder as a carbohydrate in different pH (5 – 9) and temperature (20 – 50 °C). The enzyme activity was minimum in 0.5% substrate concentration at lower pH 5 (0.0087, 0.0143 and 0.0071 U/mL) and at 20 °C temperature (0.0151, 0.0154 and 0.0122 U/mL) by the bacterial strains such as
Cellulomonas, Bacillus and
Micrococcus spp respectively. Then this level was increased and reached maximum at the neutral pH (0.0172, 0.0165 and 0.0121 U/mL) and at 40 °C (0.0336, 0.0196 and 0.0152 U/mL) by the selected bacterial species. Further increase of pH and temperature, the enzyme activity reduced considerably to 0.0083, 0.0143 and 0.0037 U/mL at pH 9 and 0.0154, 0.0197 and 0.0121 U/mL at 50 °C by the tested bacterial strains. The same trend was also obtained in oth er substrate concentrations such as 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 %. With in the four substrate concentrations, the endoglucanase enzyme activity was more in 1.5% concentration at the tested pH and temperatures. From the over all result, it was observed that, among the three bacterial strains, the enzyme activity was more in
Cellulomonas sp, followed by
Bacillus and
Micrococcus spp. in varying pH and temperature.
