Keratinolytic Fungi for Biodegradation of Chicken feathers: Isolation, Characterization and Enzyme Analysis

Abstract

Chicken feathers are the main byproduct of Poultry Industry producing million tonnes of waste annually. Untreated feather waste harbours a range of pathogenic bacteria emitting pollutants like nitrous oxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide, posing a risk to both the environment and human health, hence must be biodegraded microbially. The Keratinolytic fungi were isolated from feathers using serial dilution. The keratinase activity was screened by gauging the growth on Mineral Minimal media with added feather powder. Submerged fermentation and spectrophotometry were used to analyze enzyme activity, indicating Keratinolytic potential. One-way ANOVA was used to validate the results statistically. Four fungal isolates were successfully isolated, showing growth surge up to 3.96× on feather supplemented minimal media. All isolates showed highest Enzyme activity on the 5th Day with KF Isolates 4 & 2 showing 9.79 ± 0.37 U/mL & 8.71 ± 0.41 respectively. Statistical analysis also supported the fungi’s Keratinolytic potential. The results of this study highlighted the potential of fungal isolates for eco-friendly biodegradation of Poultry waste.

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