Abstract

Keratin derived from poultry, and other keratinous waste remains a headache to the human society and also to the nature. Marine fungi - an untapped resource to be exploited specifically for the production of keratinase. In this connection, marine sediment samples were randomly collected from Kovalam located along the south west coast of Tamil Nadu. Two marine-derived fungi were isolated from the sediment samples. The internal transcribed spacer region of the isolates was sequenced, submitted to the GenBank and an individual accession number obtained for Colletotrichum capsici (KY817475) and Curvularia lunata (KY828216). Keratinase enzyme was produced with C. capsici and C. lunata at pH 8.5, and total protein was estimated. The amount of protein produced by C. capsici was found to be 0.91 mg/ml and by C. lunata was 1.06 mg/ml. The molecular weight of keratinase was determined as 35kDa. Four parameters through pH, concentration of feather meal, carbon source, and nitrogen source were optimized during the present study. Keratinase production media inoculated with C. capsici and C. lunata exhibit ODmax with respect to feather meal concentration and corresponding OD was 1.264 mg/ml and 0.639 mg/ml. The ODmax for C. capsici and C. lunata supplemented with maltose as carbon source was 1.281 mg/ml and 1.426 mg/ml. The ODmax for C. capsici and C. lunata supplemented with yeast extract as nitrogen source and corresponding OD was 1.858 mg/ml and 1.613 mg/ml. Thus, we conclude that marine-derived fungi C. capsici and C. lunata are potential producers of ecovaluable keratinase which could be used up to treat the ecological burden created by keratinous waste.

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