Optimization, Production and Partial Purification of an Extracellular Alkaline Protease from Halophilic Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis EBPL0007

The Halophilic bacterium EBPL0007 was obtained from the Eukpro Biotech Private Limited, R&D Lab, Chrompet, Chennai. The Halophilic bacterium screened for four industrially important enzymes, out of which protease showed the maximum zone of clearance. Halophilic bacterium EBPL0007 was identified as Bacillus Licheniformis by polyphasic taxonomical approach and submitted in GenBank with the accession number MW387224. The medium for protease production was optimized as Glucose as a carbon source, peptone as a nitrogen source, 0.05% of gelatin as a substrate, 3% NaCl, pH-9 and 36°C, Bacillus Licheniformis was mass cultured in optimized production medium, harvested after 9 days of incubation and the enzyme protease was partially purified by Acetone precipitation method. The partially purified enzyme was lyophilized and the effect of temperature, pH, NaCl and metal ions was analyzed. The enzyme activity was found to be 3150 units/ml in partially purified. The crude enzyme was used for the washing test to compare the results with the available detergents in the market as its application.