Molecular Identification of Inulin-Degrading Thermophiles: A 16S rRNA Gene-Based Study

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
³ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan

Abstract

Thermophilic bacteria are a potential source of thermostable enzymes capable of degrading inulin. One prominent habitat for these bacteria is hot springs. Despite their significance, many thermophilic bacteria remain unidentified at the molecular level. This study conducted to identify inulin-degrading thermophilic bacteria from the Sonsang hot spring in Solok, West Sumatera, using 16S rRNA gene analysis. Chromosomal DNA was extracted from the bacterial isolate, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified through Polymerase Chain Reaction. The amplified gene products were purified, visualized using agarose gel electrophoresis, and cloned into a pT7Blue T-Vector for sequencing. The 16S rRNA gene sequence, consisting of 1548 base pairs, was analyzed using BLASTn, revealing 99% similarity to Bacillus smithii. Consequently, the thermophilic bacterial isolate was identified as belonging to the species Bacillus smithii.