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Chicken feathers: a complex substrate for the co-production of α-amylase and proteases by B. licheniformis NH1

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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

This study is concerned with the co-production of alkaline proteases and thermostable α-amylase by some feather-degrading Bacillus strains: B. mojavensis A21, B. licheniformis NH1, B. subtilis A26, B. amyloliquefaciens An6 and B. pumilus A1. All strains produced both enzymes, except B. pumilus A1, which did not exhibit amylolytic activity. The best enzyme co-production was obtained by the NH1 strain when chicken feathers were used as nitrogen and carbon sources in the fermentation medium. The higher co-production of both enzymes by B. licheniformis NH1 strain was achieved in the presence of 7.5 g/l chicken feathers and 1 g/l yeast extract. Strong catabolic repression on protease and α-amylase production was observed with glucose. Addition of 0.5% glucose to the feather medium suppressed enzyme production by B. licheniformis NH1. The growth of B. licheniformis NH1 using chicken feathers as nitrogen and carbon sources resulted in its complete degradation after 24 h of incubation at 37°C. However, maximum protease and amylase activities were attained after 30 h and 48 h, respectively. Proteolytic activity profiles of NH1 enzymatic preparation grown on chicken feather or casein-based medium are different. As far as we know, this is the first contribution towards the co-production of α-amylase and proteases using keratinous waste. Strain NH1 shows potential use for biotechnological processes involving keratin hydrolysis and industrial α-amylase and proteases co-production. Thus, the utilization of chicken feathers may result in a cost-effective process suitable for large-scale production.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financed by Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunisia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Génie Enzymatique et de Microbiologie, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sfax, B.P. 1173, Sfax, Tunisia

    Noomen Hmidet, Nedra El Hadj Ali, Nahed Zouari-Fakhfakh, Anissa Haddar, Moncef Nasri & Alya Sellemi-Kamoun

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  1. Noomen Hmidet
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  2. Nedra El Hadj Ali
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  3. Nahed Zouari-Fakhfakh
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  4. Anissa Haddar
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  5. Moncef Nasri
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  6. Alya Sellemi-Kamoun
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Correspondence to Noomen Hmidet.

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Hmidet, N., El Hadj Ali, N., Zouari-Fakhfakh, N. et al. Chicken feathers: a complex substrate for the co-production of α-amylase and proteases by B. licheniformis NH1. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 37, 983–990 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0792-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0792-8

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