Hydrolysis of palm kernel meal fibre using a newly isolated Bacillus subtilis F6 with high mannanase activity

High fibre content is the main limitation of using mannan-rich palm kernel meal (PKM) in feeding non-ruminant livestock. Microbial fermentation stands out as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for hydrolysing fibre in lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, a Bacillus subtilis strain F6 with high mannanase secretion capability was isolated from an environmental source. Fermentation of PKM using strain F6 resulted in at least a 10% reduction in its neutral detergent fibre content. Notably, the strain exhibited a rapid response to PKM, with significant mannanase activity detected as early as 6 h, enabling fibre hydrolysis within a short fermentation period. Subsequent transcriptome analysis uncovered potential enzymes involved in PKM fibre degradation, and the purified recombinant enzymes were generated to assess their activity on PKM fibre degradation. β-mannanase GmuG demonstrated strong hydrolysis activity of PKM fibre, and its biochemical properties were determined. Overall, the study reported the isolation of a B. subtilis strain suitable for fibre hydrolysis of mannan-rich biomass, followed by an investigation to identify and characterize the enzyme responsible for fibre degradation.