Moncef Nasri

Two detergent stable alkaline serine-proteases from Bacillus mojavensis A21: Purification, characterization and potential application as a laundry detergent additive

Two detergent stable alkaline serine-proteases (BM1 and BM2) from Bacillus mojavensis A21 were purified. The molecular weights of BM1 and BM2 enzymes determined by SDS-PAGE were approximately 29,00 Da and 15,50 Da, respectively. The optimum pH values of BM1 and BM2 proteases were shown to be 8.0-10.0 and 10.0, respectively. Both enzymes exhibited maximal activity at 60 degrees C, using casein as a substrate. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of BM1 and BM2 proteases were AQSVPYGISQIKA and AIPDQAATTLL, respectively. Both proteases showed high stability towards non-ionic surfactants. The enzymes were found to be relatively stable towards oxidizing agents. In addition, both enzymes showed excellent stability and compatibility with a wide range of commercial liquid and solid detergents. These properties and the high activity in high alkaline pH make these proteases an ideal choice for application in detergent formulations.

Stability studies of protease from Bacillus cereus BG1

An organic solvent-tolerant bacterium producing organic solvent-stable protease was isolated from fishing industry wastewater and identified as B. cereus. The enzyme retained more than 95% of its initial activity after pre-incubation 24 h at 30 ◦ C in the presence of 25% methanol, DMSO, acetonitrile and DMF. Above 37 ◦ C, Ca 2+ was required for enzyme activity. The optimum temperature for the protease activity was at 60 ◦ C in the presence of 2 mM Ca 2+ and 50 ◦ C in the absence of Ca 2+ .A t 60 ◦ C, Ca 2+ (2 mM) stimulated the protease activity by 500%. Other bivalent metal ions such as Mg 2+ and Mn 2+ also increased activity by 285 and 157%, respectively, while Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ had a strong inhibitory effect. Thermostability of the enzyme was enhanced by Ca 2+ at temperature values above 40 ◦ C. In the presence of 10 mM Ca 2+ , the enzyme retained 100, 93 and 26% of its initial activity after heating for 15 min at 55, 60 and 70 ◦ C, respectively. However, the enzyme was completely inactivated when incubated at 55 ◦ C for 15 min in the absence of calcium. The pH optimum was 8.0 and the enzyme was quite stable in various pH buffers between pH 6.0 and 9.0 when incubated at 50 ◦ C for 1 and 3 h. Enzyme activity was inhibited by EDTA, suggesting that the preparation contains metalloprotease(s).

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) by-products protein hydrolysates obtained by treatment with microbial and visceral fish serine proteases.

The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates prepared from heads and viscera of sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) by treatment with various proteases were investigated. Protein hydrolysates were obtained by treatment with Alcalase(®), chymotrypsin, crude enzyme preparations from Bacillus licheniformis NH1 and Aspergillus clavatus ES1, and crude enzyme extract from sardine (Sardina pilchardus) viscera. All hydrolysates exhibited inhibitory activity towards ACE. The alkaline protease extract from the viscera of sardine produced hydrolysate with the highest ACE inhibitory activity (63.2±1.5% at 2mg/ml). Further, the degrees of hydrolysis and the inhibitory activities of ACE increased with increasing proteolysis time. The protein hydrolysate generated with alkaline proteases from the viscera of sardine was then fractionated by size exclusion chromatography on a Sephadex G-25 into eight major fractions (P1-P8). Biological functions of all fractions were assayed, and P4 was found to display a high ACE inhibitory activity. The IC50 values for ACE inhibitory activities of sardinelle by-products protein hydrolysates and fraction P4 were 1.2±0.09 and 0.81±0.013mg/ml, respectively. Further, P4 showed resistance to in vitro digestion by gastrointestinal proteases. The amino acid analysis by GC/MS showed that P4 was rich in phenylalanine, arginine, glycine, leucine, methionine, histidine and tyrosine. The added-value of sardinelle by-products may be improved by enzymatic treatment with visceral serine proteases from sardine.

Structural differences between chitin and chitosan extracted from three different marine sources

Three marine sources of chitin from Tunisia were investigated. Structural differences between α-chitin from shrimp (Penaeus kerathurus) waste, crab (Carcinus mediterraneus) shells, and β-chitin from cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) bones were studied by the (13)C NMR, FTIR, and XRD diffractograms. The (13)C NMR analysis showed a splitting of the C3 and C5 carbon signals for α-chitin, while that of β-chitin was merged into a single resonance. The bands contour of deconvoluted and curve-fit FTIR spectra showed a more detailed structure of α-chitin in the region of O-H, N-H and CO stretching regions. IR and (13)C NMR were used to determine the chitin degree of acetylation (DA). XRD analysis indicated that α-chitins were more crystalline polymorph than β-chitin. Shrimp chitin was obtained with a good yield (20% on raw material dry weight) and no residual protein and salts. Chitosans, with a DA lower than 20% and relatively low molecular masses were prepared from the wet chitins in the same experimental conditions. They were perfectly soluble in acidic medium. Nevertheless, chitin and chitosan characteristics were depending upon the chitin source.

Influence of acetylation degree and molecular weight of homogeneous chitosans on antibacterial and antifungal activities

The results given in the literature are conflicting when considering the relationship between antimicrobial activity and chitosan characteristics. To be able to clarify, we prepared fifteen homogeneous chitosans with different acetylation degrees (DA) and molecular weights (MW) by reacetylation of a fully deacetylated chitin under homogeneous conditions. They were tested at different pH values for their antimicrobial activities against four Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi), four Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis and Micrococcus luteus) and three fungi (Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria solani). Chitosans markedly inhibited growth of most bacteria and fungi tested, although the inhibitory effect depends on the type of microorganism and on the chitosan characteristics (DA and MW) with minimum inhibitory concentrations in the range of 0.001 to 0.1 w%. Considering chitosan efficiency on bacteria, our series of data clearly show that the lower DA and the lower pH give the larger efficiency. Antibacterial activity was further enhanced for Gram-negative bacteria with decreasing MW, whereas, opposite effect was observed with the Gram-positive. Concerning the antifungal activity, the influence of chitosan characteristics was dependent on the particular type of fungus. Fungal growth decreased with increasing MW for F. oxysporum and decreasing DA for A. solani, but no MW or DA dependences were observed with A. niger.

Physical, structural, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of gelatin-chitosan composite edible films.

Physico-chemical and mechanical properties of cuttlefish skin gelatin (G), chitosan (C) from shrimp (Penaeus kerathurus) and composite films (G75/C25, G50/C50, G25/C75) plasticized with glycerol were investigated. The results indicated that chitosan film had higher tensile strength and lower elongation at break when compared with the other films. Composite films show no significant difference in tensile strength (TS), thickness and transparency. The structural properties evaluated by FTIR and DSC showed total miscibility between both polymers. DSC scans showed that the increase of chitosan content in the composite films increases the transition temperature (Tg) and enthalpy (ΔHg) of films. The morphology study of gelatin, chitosan and composite films showed a compact and homogenous structure. In addition, gelatin and G75/C25 films demonstrated a high antioxidant activities monitored by β-carotene bleaching, DPPH radical-scavenging and reducing power activities, while films contained chitosan exhibited higher antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria.

Analysis of novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides from enzymatic hydrolysates of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) muscle proteins.

The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates prepared from cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) proteins by treatment with various bacterial proteases were investigated. The hydrolysate generated by the crude enzyme from Bacillus mojavensis A21 displayed the highest ACE inhibitory activity, and the higher inhibition activity (87.11 +/- 0.92% at 2 mg/mL) was obtained with hydrolysis degree of 16%. This hydrolysate was fractionated by size exclusion chromatography on a Sephadex G-25 into eight major fractions (P(1)-P(8)). Fraction P(6), which exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity, was then fractionated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Eleven ACE inhibitory peptides were isolated, and their molecular masses and amino acids sequences were determined using ESI-MS and ESI-MS/MS, respectively. The structures of the most potent peptides were identified as Ala-His-Ser-Tyr, Gly-Asp-Ala-Pro, Ala-Gly-Ser-Pro and Asp-Phe-Gly. The first peptide displayed the highest ACE inhibitory activity with an IC(50) of 11.6 microM. The results of this study suggest that cuttlefish protein hydrolysates are a good source of ACE inhibitory peptides.

Chitin extraction from shrimp shell using enzymatic treatment. Antitumor, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of chitosan.

Chitin was recovered through enzymatic deproteinization of the shrimp processing by-products. Different microbial and fish viscera proteases were tested for their deproteinization efficiency. High levels of protein removal of about 77±3% and 78±2% were recorded using Bacillus mojavensis A21 and Balistes capriscus proteases, respectively, after 3h of hydrolysis at 45°C using an enzyme/substrate ratio of 20U/mg. Therefore, these two crude proteases were used separately for chitin extraction and then chitosan preparation by N-deacetylation. Chitin and chitosan samples were then characterized by 13 Cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS)-NMR spectroscopy and compared to samples prepared through chemical deproteinization. All chitins and chitosans showed identical spectra. Chitosans prepared through enzymatic deproteinization have practically the same acetylation degree but higher molecular weights compared to that obtained through chemical process. Antimicobial, antioxidant and antitumoral activitities of chitosan-M obtained by treatment with A21 proteases and chitosan-C obtained by alkaline treatment were investigated. Results showed that both chitosans inhibited the growth of most Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria and fungi tested. Furthermore, both chitosans exhibited antioxidant and antitumor activities which was dependent on the molecular weight.

An Oxidant- and Solvent-Stable Protease Produced by Bacillus cereus SV1: Application in the Deproteinization of Shrimp Wastes and as a Laundry Detergent Additive

The current increase in amount of shrimp wastes produced by the shrimp industry has led to the need in finding new methods for shrimp wastes disposal. In this study, an extracellular organic solvent- and oxidant-stable metalloprotease was produced by Bacillus cereus SV1. Maximum protease activity (5,900 U/mL) was obtained when the strain was grown in medium containing 40 g/L shrimp wastes powder as a sole carbon source. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of the crude enzyme preparation were pH 8.0, 60 °C, pH 6–9.5, and <55 °C, respectively. The crude protease was extremely stable toward several organic solvents. No loss of activity was observed even after 60 days of incubation at 30 °C in the presence of 50% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide and ethyl ether; the enzyme retained more than 70% of its original activity in the presence of ethanol and N,N-dimethylformamide. The protease showed high stability toward anionic (SDS) and non-ionic (Tween 80, Tween 20, and Triton X-100) surfactants. Interestingly, the activity of the enzyme was significantly enhanced by oxidizing agents. In addition, the enzyme showed excellent compatibility with some commercial liquid detergents. The protease of B. cereus SV1, produced under the optimal culture conditions, was tested for shrimp waste deproteinization in the preparation of chitin. The protein removal with a ratio E/S of 20 was about 88%. The novelties of the SV1 protease include its high stability to organic solvents and surfactants. These unique properties make it an ideal choice for application in detergent formulations and enzymatic peptide synthesis. In addition, the enzyme may find potential applications in the deproteinization of shrimp wastes to produce chitin.

Production of protease by Bacillus subtilis grown on sardinelle heads and viscera flour

Fish flours from Sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) were prepared and tested for protease production by Bacillus subtilis. Protease synthesis was strongly induced when cells were grown in media containing only a combined head and viscera preparation. Sardinelle heads and viscera flour enhanced protease production up to 100% more than commercial peptones. The enhancement could have been due to a high lipid content, which might have contained nutritional factors acting as inducers, since defatting fish meal led to a decrease in protease production.