Enrichment and characterization of an environmental microbial consortium displaying efficient keratinolytic activity. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kang, Dingrong; Herschend, Jakob; Al-Soud, Waleed Abu; Mortensen, Martin Steen; Gonzalo, Milena; Jacquiod, Samuel; Sørensen, Søren J.
• Is Part Of: Bioresource technology. Volume 270(2018)
• Page Start: 303
• Page End: 310
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: α-Keratin -- Microbial degradation -- Enrichment cultivation -- Microbial consortia; Biomass -- Periodicals; Biomass energy -- Periodicals; Bioremediation -- Periodicals; Agricultural wastes -- Periodicals; Factory and trade waste -- Periodicals; Organic wastes -- Periodicals; Bioénergie -- Périodiques; Déchets agricoles -- Périodiques; Déchets industriels -- Périodiques; Déchets organiques -- Périodiques; Déchets (Combustible) -- Périodiques; 662.88
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0960-8524

Abstract

Highlight: Successful enrichment of a novel microbial consortium for keratin valorization. The consortium displays a high keratinolytic activity and reproducibility. Residual keratin has low nutrient content, limiting further bioconversion. The bioconversion process favors releasing of low sulphur-containing protein. Abstract: Keratin refers to a group of insoluble and recalcitrant protein materials. Slaughterhouses produce large amount of keratinous byproducts, which are either disposed or poorly valorized through costly thermochemical processes for animal feed formulation. Learning from nature, keratinolytic microbial consortia stand as a cost-efficient and environmental friendly way to valorize this recalcitrant resource. Directed selection was applied to enrich soil-born microbial consortia, using sequential batch cultivations in keratin medium, while measuring enzymes activity and monitoring consortia compositions via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. A promising microbial consortium KMCG6, featuring mainly members of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, was obtained. It possessed keratinolytic activity with <25% residual substrate remaining, which also displayed a high degradation reproducibility level after long-term cryopreservation. This work represents an advance in the field of α-keratin degradation with potential for practical applications.