Isolation, Optimization
and Molecular Identification of Keratinase producing Bacteria Bacillus velezensis
Strain VITSJ01 from Chicken Farms
Ephrem S.A., Babu A.S., Rishad S.K. and Rao K.V.B.
Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 20(6); 31-36;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/206rjbt031036; (2025)
Abstract
Keratin is a protein that acts as the key structural material in making up hair,
nails, feathers, scales etc. It protects epithelial cells from damage or stress.
Degradation of these keratin rich materials in nature is done by specific bacteria
and other microorganisms that produce an enzyme called Keratinase. The present study
aimed at the isolation, optimization and PCR- assisted identification of Keratinase
producing bacteria associated with chicken feathers. Keratinase producing bacteria
were isolated from soil samples collected from chicken farms. The isolated bacteria
were screened primarily on skimmed milk media and the colonies indicating keratinolytic
behaviour were classified morphologically, microscopically and biochemically. The
potential strains were then subjected to enzyme production in order to measure the
enzyme activity. The effects of temperature, pH and period of incubation on the
enzyme activity were also studied to identify the optimal range to produce the enzyme.
The maximum enzyme activity was observed for the isolate VITSJ01 at an optimum pH
of 5 and 37o C temperature.
Further the potential strain was identified as Bacillus velezensis by 16S rDNA sequencing.
The isolate was then successfully purified, sequenced and analysed by NCBI-BLAST
for similar search. Thus, the purification of microbial keratinase from soil samples
could be effectively utilized for degrading feather keratin and feathers can be
converted to feedstuffs, fertilizers, glues and films.
