Abstract
Keratinase enzymes are protein hydrolyzing enzymes belonging to the serine hydrolase group and act specifically on keratin proteins to degrade them. The current study was conducted to isolate best keratinase producer bacterial strains. Four Bacillus species (B. cereus PP1- OP748781, B. cereus JP1- OP748782, B. cereus TP1- OP748783 and B. thuringiensis VP4- OP420549), were isolated from the poultry farms of Himachal Pradesh. These strains were evaluated for keratinase production by using chicken feathers in shake flask culture. Among four isolates, Bacillus thuringiensis VP4 showed highest enzymatic activity 343 U/ml. The molecular weight of the keratinase was observed 45 KDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The optimization of enzyme production was done with isolate Bacillus thuringiensis VP4 at various parameters such as temperature, pH and effect of metal ions. The maximum keratinase production was observed at 35°C temperature and pH 10.0. The isolated strain Bacillus thuringiensis VP4 might be used to produce poultry compost through degradation of chicken feathers and poultry waste in short time which may also be helpful for farmers and overcoming environmental pollution.
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