Abstract
Plastic materials have become a necessity of human life especially in the packaging of food commodities and biomedical procedures. Bioplastic is emerging as an effective alternative to fossil oil-based materials to avoid the environmental hazards of the plastic industry. During this study, chicken feathers were used as a substrate to isolate keratin degrading bacteria. Among 14 identified isolates, Bacillus sp BAM3 was found to be the most promising isolate. Partial 16S rDNA analysis-based molecular characterization revealed it is a strain of Bacillus cereus. Bacillus sp BAM3 can grow and produce keratinase in feathers containing basal medium as the sole carbon and energy source. The maximum keratinase production (730U/ml) was achieved within 24 h under optimum reaction conditions. The optimized reaction pH and temperature were noted as 9.0 and 50 degrees C for crude keratinase activity, respectively. The chicken feathers were used as a substrate in 2, 5, and 10 wt% glycerol to synthesize keratin-based bioplastic with keratinolytic bacterium Bacillus cereus BAM3. Bioplastic prepared from keratin with 2% of glycerol was found to possess good mechanical properties. Therefore, the results present a novel keratinolytic isolate of Bacillus cereus BAM3, which may have potential biotechnological applications in keratin hydrolysis processes. The development of keratin-based bioplastics possessing superior crystalline morphology requires further investigations to substitute fossil oil-based materials.