Abstract

The production of extracellular alkaline protease by Bacillus subtilis was studied with submerged fermentation. A new strain of Bacillus sp. was isolated from alkaline soil, which was able to produce extracellular alkaline protease. The production of alkaline protease involved the use of agricultural or animal wastes at pH 8 and temperatures at 37°C. Results showed that growing B. subtilis sub sp. subtilis under optimized growth resulted in production of alkaline protease with enzyme activity of 1412.5 U/ml, while with pomegranate peel at a concentration of 3%, the enzyme activity reached 3600 U/ml; further increase in pomegranate concentration did not however, lead to additional enzyme activity. Among various nitrogen sources, yeast extract was found to be the best inducer of alkaline protease. Among metal salts, KNO3 and NH4Cl were found to increase protease production. The maximum enzyme production (3600 U/ml) was observed with pomegranate peels of fermentation medium in the presence of yeast extract, potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride.

Key words: Production, alkaline protease, Bacillus subtilis, animal wastes, enzyme activity.