Thermostable Alkaline Protease from Haloalkaliphilic Bacteria

Enzymes are the bioactive compounds that have focused attention. The demand for microbial enzymes in industrial fields is increasing day by day due to their applications in clean and cost effective biotechnological processes. A halo-tolerant and alkaliphilic bacterium, Kh-30-2, was isolated from saline soil of the desert of Kutch, Gujarat. The organism secreted a range of extracellular enzymes including protease, cellulase and lipase with 10% NaCl and pH 9. It secreted alkaline protease optimally with 0.5 % w/v, peptone and yeast extract. The enzyme was partially purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation with 4.84 fold purification and 7.42% yield. The enzyme displayed optimum activity at 60C temperature and pH 10. Significant stability of the enzyme with detergent and cations reflected its potential as a promising detergent additive.