Feather Degradation and Keratinase Production by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia DHHJ

Feathers, as a waste, are produced in large quantities from poultry processing industry every year. In this paper, feathers were biodegraded by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia DHHJ which was isolated from soil samples. The results show that the optimal conditions for the feather degradation and the keratinase production are 2.5% feather as substrate, the initial pH of 7.8 and cultivation at 40 ℃ for 5 days. Salts, KCl and NaCl, can increase feather degradation slightly. The proper concentration of Tween 80 can enhance keratinase production significantly. EDTA, as a metalloprotease inhibitor, greatly inhibits keratinolytic activity.