Keratin derived from poultry and other keratinous waste remains a head ache to the human society and also to the nature. Marine fungi an unexploited domain to be exploited specifically for the production of keratinase. In this connection, marine sediment samples were randomly collected from Kovalam located along the south west coast of Tamilnadu. Two marine derived fungi were isolated from the sediment samples. The ITS region of the isolates were sequenced, submitted to the GenBank and individual accession number obtained for Colletotrichum capsici (KY817475) and Curvularia lunata (KY828216). Keratinase enzyme was produced with C.capsici and C.lunata at pH 8.5 and total protein was estimated. The amount of protein produced by C.capsici was found to be 0.91mg/ml and by C.lunata was 1.06mg/ml. The molecular weight of keratinase was determined as 35kDa. Four parameters viz pH, concentration of feather meal, carbon source and nitrogen source were optimized during the present study. Keratinase production media inoculated with C. capsici and C.lunata exhibit ODmax with respect to feather meal concentration and corresponding OD was 1.264mg/ml and 0.639mg/ml. The ODmax for C.capsici and C.lunata supplemented with maltose as carbon source was 1.281mg/ml and 1.426mg/ml. The ODmax for C.capsici and C.lunata supplemented with yeast extract as nitrogen source and corresponding OD was 1.858mg/ml and 1.613mg/ml. Thus we conclude that marine derived fungi C.capsici and C.lunata are potential producers of ecovaluable keratinase which could be used up to treat the ecological burden created by keratinous waste.
Key words: Keratin, ITS, keratinase, Colletotrichum capsici, Curvularia lunata, OD, kDa, pH, feather meal, ecovaluable
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