Characterization of carboxymethylcellulose gel-degrading bacteria

Kawano, Miho*; Kasuya, Kenichi*; Takigami, Machiko*; Nagasawa, Naotsugu; Tamada, Masao; Yoshii, Fumio

Carboxymethylcellulose gel (CMC gel) was produced by irradiation of rays for CMC. The CMC gel is expected to be applied in biomedical and agricultural uses so that it has high water absorbability. The objectives of this study are to isolate and to identfy CMC gel degrading microorganism, and reveal its decomposition mechanism in detail. We isolated and identfied CMC gel-degrading microorganisms from soil. The isolates belonged to Gram-positive bacterium group, hydrolyzed CMC, and CMCgel to low molecular substances.