Biodegradation by Proteolytic Bacteria:An AttractiveAlternative for Biological Waste Treatment

Protease enzyme found in proteolytic bacteria brings about proteolysis by hydrolysis of peptide bond in the polypeptide chain. Evidence for extracellular proteolytic activity was demonstrated for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus isolated from soil. The two bacterial isolates were screened for proteases production based on their growth in liver particle medium and further evaluated for proteases activity against proteinaceous substrates like gelatin, milk protein, soya protein, bovine meat protein and egg protein. The proteolytic activity of cell-free extracts of strains varied. Furthermore, difference between hydrolysing activities of the bacterial isolates towards all substrates indicates the presence of powerful extracellular proteolytic activity. The experiment was designed to evaluate the ability of proteolytic bacteria to degrade organic waste components. The study hints towards a practical and economic solution for hydrolysing most solid proteinaceous waste generated from industries like meat industries, oil refineries, dairy processing industries, egg and poultry industries and food industries.