Isolation and characterization of a novel feather-degrading bacterial strain

Feather waste, generated in large quantities as a byproduct of commercial p oultry processing, is almost pure keratin, which is not easily degradable b y common proteolytic enzymes. Feather-degrading bacteria were isolated from a Brazilian poultry industrial waste. Among these isolates, a strain ident ified as kr2 was the best feather-degrading organism when grown on basal me dium containing 10 g/L of native feather as a source of energy, carbon, and nitrogen. The isolate was characterized according to morphological charact eristics and biochemical tests belonging to the Vibrionaceae family. Kerati nolytic activity of this isolate was monitored throughout the cultivation o f the bacterium on raw feather at different temperatures. The optimum tempe rature for growth was about 30 degrees C, at which maximum enzyme and solub le protein production were achieved. The enzyme had a pH and temperature op tima of 8.0 and 55 degrees C, respectively.