Concomitant Production of α-Amylase and Protease by Bacillus Aerius Strain FPWSHA Isolated from Food Wastes

Amylase and protease are enzymes that have potential applications in the food industry, detergent formulation, pharmaceuticals, waste degradation, and the dehairing process in the leather-making industry. In the current study, fifty-six bacteria were isolated from food wastes and screened for amylase and protease production. Biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to characterize and identify bacterial strains. Ten potential isolates with high extracellular enzyme secretion were selected. Among ten isolates, strain FPWSHA was ideal for α-amylase and protease production based on its larger hydrolytic zone of clearance under casein and starch agar than other isolates. This strain was identified as Bacillus aerius FPWSHA (Accession number in GenBank: OM258619) and utilized to produce protease and α-amylase enzymes using potato peels powder (PPP) waste as a cheap substrate under submerged fermentation. Under culture conditions optimization, 16.9 U/mL amylase and 12.3 U/mL proteases were achieved within 48 h of fermentation. Bacillus aerius was isolated from food wastes for the first time to produce α-amylase and protease enzymes. In the future, the bacterial strain described here should be improved for hydrolytic enzyme production in commercial and biotechnological applications.