Optimization of keratinase production by the FUM-2

The feather is an environmental pollutant that can be degraded by bacterial and fungal microorganisms. Keratin sheets constitute 90% of the feather mass. Due to the extremely rigid structure, keratin is insoluble and hard to degrade. Keratinases are proteases that have several important applications in the daily life sacs as biomedical fields, leather industry, agricultural industry.They have attracted the attention of researchers in the field of bio-technology. They are produced in the keratinous substrates such as feather, hair, wool, nail, horn and hoof by microorganisms. Using chicken feather as a sole of carbon and nitrogen source with salt (NaCl, MgCl2, K2HPO4, KH2PO4), the effect of incubation time, temperature (20, 37, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 °C) and pH (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5, 12) on keratinase production of FUM-2 was optimized by one factor at a time (OFAT) method. Maximum enzyme activities were obtained within 48 hrs (9.31 U/ml/min) of cultivation. The optimal conditions for the keratinolytic activity were determined to be temperature 45°C (15.66 U/ml/min) and pH 11 (16.99 U/ml/min). Considering its promising properties (thermophile and alkaliphile), FUM-2 may be considered as a potential candidate for future usages in biotechnological processes, particularly in detergent and in the processing of poultry waste.

کلیدواژه ها:

FUM-2 ، keratinase ، optimization ، thermophile and alkaliphile