ALKALINE PROTEASE PRODUCTION BY Bacillus licheniformis LBA 46 IN A BENCH REACTOR: EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND AGITATION

Abstract The production of protease from Bacillus licheniformis LBA 46 was studied in a 6 L reactor using the experimental design tool. The higher protease production was obtained in the exponential phase of growth reaching maximum activity (~3,000 U/mL) after 48 h of fermentation at 30 ºC and 300 rpm in a culture medium made of agroindustrial by-products. In the thermostability study, the semi-purified enzyme retained about 78% of the initial activity after 120 min at 50 ºC. The protease was purified 3.33 times by ammonium sulfate precipitation and DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography and had a molecular mass estimated at 40 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The purified protease showed optimum activity at 50 and 60 ºC, optimal activity in pH 8.5 and stability in the range between pH 5-10 after 24 h of incubation at 4 ºC, presenting more than 86% of the initial activity.