www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.org FEATHER DEGRADATION AND KERATINASE PRODUCTION BY BACILLUS SP. AND LACTOBACILLUS SP. PUNIKA CHAISEMSAENG, ARTIT SABU, SUPASET ANSANAN & SUJAREE SIRISAN Department of Science and Mathematics, Kalasin University, Muang Kalasin, Kalasin Province, Thailand ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of chicken feather degradation by Bacillus sp. and Lactobacillus sp. The bacteria were grown with 43 °C and pH 7.5 in basal medium, the growth cell of bacteria, dry weight and percentage of the feather were measured. Both strains could degrade part of the feather at 5 and 10 days. The bacteria growths were monitored by turbidity method. The growth of cell showed Bacillus sp. had highest of growth, cell at 10 days. Whole feather, dry weights of both strains was related to a percentage of the feather degradation. These found, Lactobacillus sp. resulting great in feather, dry weight and percentage of feather degradation, higher than that the Bacillus sp. This strain showed the feather, dry weight at 67.67 grams and partial degradation of the feather at 32.33% after 10 days of incubation. Keratinolytic activity assay were shown as 50.36 and 60.92 U/ml from Lactobacillus sp. and Bacillus sp., respectively. This is very interesting; because of Lactobacillus sp. showed great of a feather degrading percentage, but secreted the enzyme less than Bacillus sp. strain. This strain has been a little reported for feather degradation and we indicated that the strain could be strong to degrade feather of the chicken and can be a highly useful bacterium for feather meal production and in leather industry. KEYWORDS: Feather Degradation, Keratin, Keratinolytic Production & Bacillus sp. & Lactobacillus sp. Received: Apr 29, 2017; Accepted: May 21, 2017; Published: Jun 05, 2017; Paper Id.: IJBTRJUN20174 INTRODUCTION Background/Objectives and Goals Poultry, especially chickens in Thailand have developed in a sequence from the home to industry. Thailand is considered as the largest chicken exporter in Asia (Eksittikul and Kudan, 2015). The process of this chicken is generated in abundant amounts of feather as byproducts. Each year, poultry production waste from processes such as blood, bone, feathers and chicken, especially chicken feather waste expected up to 50,000 - 80,000 tons per year. The chicken feathers contain over 80-91% crude protein in a form of β-keratin (Lakshmi et al., 2013; Kainoor and Naik, 2010). β-keratin is the generality composition in feathers which defines as hard to digest animal protein. Keratin is insoluble and not degradable by protease enzyme, because of a high degree of cross-linking by cysteine disulfide bonds and hydrogen bond interaction (Park and Son, 2009). In addition, keratin in feathers can be degraded by keratinolytic enzyme from some microorganisms. Currently, feather treated with microbial keratinase is attaching wide attention with several applications. In previously has been reported for keratinolyticbacteria; for example, Aspergillus sp., Alternaria Radicina, Trichus spirals, Streptomycespactum, S. albus, S. thermoviolaceus, Bacillus sp. (Suntornsuk and Suntornsuk, 2003). Keratinase treated the feathers is increasingly respected as a source of dietary protein in food and feed supplement. Because of, the feather wastes are utilized on a basis as a dietary protein supplement for animal feed. Previously used, feather wastes were Original Article International Journal of Bio-Technology and Research (IJBTR) ISSN(P):2249-6858; ISSN(E):2249-796X Vol. 7, Issue 3, Jun 2017, 29-36 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.