2.3. Strain screening and identification
The screening procedure for xylose-utilizing strains was based
on the method described by Lopes et al. (2009) with modifications.
Soil samples were obtained at different locations in Singapore, diluted
by 10-folds using 9 g/L NaCl and incubated at 30 C on a rotary
shaker at 150 rpm for 2 h. Samples of different dilutions were
then spread on MSM solid plates containing 0.89 g/L (NH4)2SO4
and 15 g/L xylose and incubated at 30 C for 48 h.