Effect of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase enzyme in biodegradation of diesel oil

Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons is found to be an attractive process for remediation of contaminated habitats. However the poor bioavailability of hydrocarbons results in low biodegradation rates. Cyclodextrins are known to increase the bioavailability of variety of hydrophobic compounds. In the present work we purified the Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase (CGTase) enzyme which is responsible for converting starch into cyclodextrins and studied its role on biodegradation of diesel oil contaminated soil. Purification of CGTase from <i>Enterobacter cloacae</i> was done which resulted in 6 fold increase in enzyme activity. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 7, temperature 60