Isolation of a Novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens KJ 782424 with Chitosanase Activity

Abstract

A novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens KJ 782424 with chitosanase activity was isolated from forest soil on the basis of zone of hydrolysis of chitosan. The identification of the isolate was done on the basis of molecular characterization using 16S- rDNA sequence analysis. This isolated B. amyloliquefaciens produced the highest amount of chitosanase on LB medium supplemented with 0.7 % (w/v) chitosan. Maximum chitosanase production (6.49 IU) was achieved at initial medium pH of 8.0 at incubation temperature 30°C after 22 h of incubation. This is the first report which shows that B. amyloliquefaciens also has the ability to produce chitosanase enzyme.