The Agro-industrial Byproduct Wheat Bran as an Inducer for Alkaline Protease (ALK-PR23) Production by Pschyrotolerant Lysinibacillus sphaericus Strain AA6 EMCCN3080

Abstract The current study aims to exploit the zero-cost inducer wheat bran (WB), an agro-industrial byproduct, for production of alkaline protease (ALK-PR23) by the hyper producer psychrotolerant Lysinibacillus sphaericus Strain AA6 EMCCN3080 for the first time ever. Incubation temperature (25 °C), yeast extract concentration, agitation speed (150 rpm), and aeration ratio [1 volume (liquid):5 volume (Erlenmeyer flask)] provoked ALK-PR23 production; OVAT inferences. The pH, yeast extract, and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 levels substantively triggered ALK-PR23 production as deduced from Plackett–Burman design. Incubation time (3 days) and WB [2% (w/v)] were the optimal values inducing positive significant influence on ALK-PR23 as conferred from steepest ascent experiments. Yeast extract (0.446% w/v), (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 (0.339% w/v), and pH (6.872) prompted ALK-PR23 (592.5 U/mL) with an impressive 98-fold enhancement; Box-Behnken design and ridge steepest ascent path implications. The laboratory validation of the model achieved 100% of the predicted value. Laboratory data would present an eco-friendly, cheap, efficient approach towards concurrent WB recycling and massive production of alkaline protease (ALK-PR23) from L. sphaericus Strain AA6 EMCCN3080 . Present data would greatly encourage unveiling biochemical characteristics of ALK-PR23 in prospective studies. Graphical Abstract