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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
Poultry feather waste is the rich source of keratin protein which is highly insoluble and resistant to degradation by common proteolytic enzymes. Keratins are readily degraded by specific proteolytic enzyme keratinase. The proteolytic activity of Bacillus cereus was observed through clear zone formation in skimmed milk agar plate. The enzyme keratinase can be produced by keratinolytic microorganisms such as Bacillus cereus through solid-state fermentation using chicken feathers as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. Agricultural waste such as rice bran and trace salts are added along with chicken feather to increase the keratinase production. Feather hydrolysate was obtained after 72 hrs of incubation at 37°C which is a mixture of soluble proteins, peptides and free amino acids through degradation of 93% of feathers. Results revealed that the obtained feather hydrolysate contains indole acetic acid and act as potential biofertilizer through enhancing the germination rate, shoot and root development of Vigna radiata, Abelmoschus esculentus and Oryza sativa. This shows that chicken feathers can be recycled into valuable products such as biofertilizer, biofuel, dehairing agent and as detergent additive through sustainable method.
