authors |
Queiroga, AC; Pintado, ME; Malcata, FX |
nationality |
International |
journal |
SMALL RUMINANT RESEARCH |
author keywords |
Sheep; Fleece; Wool microflora; Keratin; Caseinolytic activity |
keywords |
SHEEP FLEECE; ALKALINE PROTEASES; AGAR PLATES; STRATEGIES; ENZYMES; ROT |
abstract |
The main purpose of this study was to isolate and briefly characterize proteolytic bacteria from a poorly known habitat - raw wool. Fleece samples were accordingly collected from Merino raw wool - a Portuguese ewe breed, at three distinct areas of their body, from animals exhibiting no symptoms or signs of abnormalities: they were then subjected to enumeration and isolation of a total of 158 bacterial strains. Said isolates were screened for protease activity, using the spot technique, on Calcium Caseinate Agar containing 1% (w/v) skim milk. The 36 isolates displaying the highest protease activity underwent a more refined assessment of enzymatic performance - by examining their cell-free supernatant extracts, using casein as substrate. Two Bacillus isolates were eventually chosen owing to their highest proteolytic activities (24.6 and 15.9 U/mL), and identified using molecular biology tools. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
publisher |
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV |
issn |
0921-4488 |
year published |
2013 |
volume |
109 |
issue |
1 |
beginning page |
38 |
ending page |
46 |
digital object identifier (doi) |
10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.09.005 |
web of science category |
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science |
subject category |
Agriculture |
unique article identifier |
WOS:000312509900007
|