Abstract
Plastic materials have become a necessity of human life especially in the packaging of food commodities and biomedical procedures. Bioplastic is emerging as an effective alternative to fossil oil-based materials to avoid the environmental hazards of the plastic industry. During this study, chicken feathers were used as a substrate to isolate keratin degrading bacteria. Among 14 identified isolates, Bacillus sp BAM3 was found to be the most promising isolate. Partial 16S rDNA analysis-based molecular characterization revealed it is a strain of Bacillus cereus. Bacillus sp BAM3 can grow and produce keratinase in feathers containing basal medium as the sole carbon and energy source. The maximum keratinase production (730U/ml) was achieved within 24 h under optimum reaction conditions. The optimized reaction pH and temperature were noted as 9.0 and 50 °C for crude keratinase activity, respectively. The chicken feathers were used as a substrate in 2, 5, and 10 wt% glycerol to synthesize keratin-based bioplastic with keratinolytic bacterium Bacillus cereus BAM3. Bioplastic prepared from keratin with 2% of glycerol was found to possess good mechanical properties. Therefore, the results present a novel keratinolytic isolate of Bacillus cereus BAM3, which may have potential biotechnological applications in keratin hydrolysis processes. The development of keratin-based bioplastics possessing superior crystalline morphology requires further investigations to substitute fossil oil-based materials.
Highlights
The plastic carrier bags gained popularity in the late 1970s1
Bacillus sp BAM3 was more related to one strain of Enterobacter cloacae, five strains of Bacillus cereus, one strain of Bacillus thuringiensis, one strain of Bacillus toyonensis, three strains of Bacillus paramycoides, two strains of Bacillus albus, two strains of Bacillus anthracis, one strain of Endophytic bacterium, one strain of Bacillaceae bacterium, and one strain of Bacillus subtilis
The partial 16S rDNA sequencing confirmed it as Bacillus cereus BAM3 sharing 98.9–100% identity and 100% coverage (Figure 1, 2)
Summary
The environmental hazards of synthetic polymers have urged scientists to develop biodegradable alternatives from renewable polysaccharides[2,3] proteins[4,5] and lipids[6]. The chicken feather-based keratin protein, either alone or in combination with synthetic or natural polymers, has diverse applications in manufacturing films, sponges, and fibers[2,14,15,16,17]. The keratin of chicken feather[4,8,11,17] can be applied to develop biodegradable and environmentally safe bioplastic[18]. A recent study has reported that keratolytic bacteria degraded chicken feathers into keratin micro-particles to produce bioplastic[19]. The present study focuses to assess the mechanical properties and ability of keratinolytic bacterium to produce chicken feathers-based bioplastic film at various glycerol concentrations. The study can facilitate the development of commercial bioplastic films in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
