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A sustainable approach for degrading Vellore Nattu kozhi feather waste, analytical amino acid profiling and its computational studies

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Abstract

Nattu kozhi (Red jungle fowl—Gallus gallus domesticus) is a breed of chickens that is native to the southern regions of India, Vellore. These chickens are known for their high-quality feathers, but when erroneously disposed, it transmits significant disease threat to human as well as animal health, such as fowl cholera, allergies, salmonellosis, histoplasmosis and pollutes the environment. The identification of amino acids from keratin, a fibrous protein found in feathers, is an important step in the development of sustainable and renewable sources of animal-derived protein. In this study, we aimed to identify various amino acids from the Nattu kozhi feather keratin hydrolysates. The keratin degrading bacteria was first isolated using serial dilution and baiting technique, wherein feather was placed on Nutrient agar and Luria Bertani agar plates and incubated at 37 °C for 24–48 h. The bacteria which degraded the feather from Luria bertani agar plate was then subjected to further characterization analysis. Additionally, the isolated colonies were incubated with Nattu kozhi feathers in nutrient and Luria Bertani broth for 20–21 days to observe degradation of feathers. Once the degradation was successful, a microscopic analysis aids in identifying the Bacillus bacterial species that assisted in the degradation process. Various biochemical tests were also performed for the same. The feather hydrolysate sample was passed through various chromatographic techniques like paper and TLC in order to identify the amino acids. Various amino acids, such as cysteine, glycine, methionine and lysine, were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. FT-IR and X-ray diffraction studies gave an insights into the functional group and nanoparticle conformation of the protein and amino acid. Molecular docking studies resulted that, the ligand [3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl urea] has − 5.2 kcal/mol affinity towards keratin and may aid in catalysing the degradation reaction. This eco-friendly, sustainable technology transforms and mitigates pollution and toxicity from feather waste, enabling the recovery of amino acids with applications and commercialization potential across various industrial sectors.

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Data availability

https://www.rcsb.org/, https://PubChem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, https://vina.scripps.edu/, https://openbabel.org. https://discover.3ds.com/discovery-studio-visualizer-download, http://cib.cf.ocha.ac.jp/bitool/GOR/.

Abbreviations

2D:

Two dimension

3D:

Three dimension

AMC:

Acetylmethylcarbinol

Asp:

Aspartic acid

CID:

Compound identifier

EDTA:

Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid

FT-IR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Glu:

Glutamic acid

GOR:

Garnier–Osguthorpe–Robson

HEPES:

N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-Nʹ-2-ethanesulfonic acid

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

IMVIC:

Indole/methyl red/Voges Prousker/citrate utilization

KH2PO4:

Potassium dihydrogen phosphate

LB:

Luria Bertani broth

NA:

Nutrient agar

NaOH:

Sodium hydroxide

NB:

Nutrient broth

PDB:

Protein data bank

Phe:

Phenylalanine

RCSB:

Research collaboratory for structural bioinformatics

Rf:

Retardation/retention factor

RPM:

Revolution per minute

SBD:

Substrate-binding domain

TES:

N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid

TLC:

Thin layer chromatography

UV:

Ultra violet

UV–Vis:

UV–visible spectroscopy

Val:

Valine

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Hi-Media and Sigma-Aldrich chemicals for research support to our Science, Innovation and Society Lab. We would like to acknowledge the School of Advances Sciences from VIT University, Vellore for their valuable support in analyzing FTIR, XRD spectral and HPLC analysis. The authors express their gratitude, to Dr. G. Viswanathan, VIT University, Vellore, India for his constant motivation, encouragement and support.

Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India

    Sathvika Kamaraj, Thushar Suresh & Suneetha Vuppu

Authors
  1. Sathvika Kamaraj
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  2. Thushar Suresh
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  3. Suneetha Vuppu
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Contributions

Professor Dr. Suneetha Vuppu made a pivotal role in developing the manuscript’s framework, provided multifaceted contributions extended to manuscript drafting, articulating the research findings and ensuring clarity, conducting microscopic analyses, biochemical characterization studies, leading FTIR and XRD characterization studies, conducting in silico docking studies, and crafting Biorender diagrams. The manuscript was read and analytically revised by all authors for important intellectual content. Sathvika Kamaraj contributed significantly to the manuscript by conceptualizing its structure, conducting microscopic analysis, performing biochemical characterizations, executing FTIR and XRD studies, utilizing chromatographic techniques such as TLC, performing in silico docking studies, and creating Biorender diagrams. Thushar Suresh helped in microscopic analysis, overseeing biochemical characterization studies, XRD characterization studies, employing chromatographic techniques like TLC, conducting in silico docking studies, and Biorender diagrams.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suneetha Vuppu.

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Kamaraj, S., Suresh, T. & Vuppu, S. A sustainable approach for degrading Vellore Nattu kozhi feather waste, analytical amino acid profiling and its computational studies. Clean Techn Environ Policy (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-024-02840-z

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