Pitfalls using tributyrin agar screening to detect lipolytic activity in metagenomic studies

The metagenomics approach is an efficient method for obtaining novel biocatalysts and useful genes from uncultured microorganisms within diverse environments. In this study, we constructed a metagenomic library using a South African deep mine biofilm sample. The library was screened for lipolytic activity using LB Tributyrin (TLB). Although we were able to identify 3 diverse esterase enzymes, we found that 70% of the obtained sequence data revealed the presence of enzymes and genes completely unrelated to that of lipolytic enzymes thereby highlighting the limitation of screening with TLB.