Immobilization of Bacillus megaterium in Carrageenan from Maluku Sea and Their Effect on Protease Production

Bacteria immobilized in carrageenan are widely used in industry to facilitate bacterial handling and storage. Carrageenan is derived from seaweed and its nature is influenced by the condition of the origin of the sea where seaweed grows, one of the Indonesia sea territories that has seaweed that contains caraganen with good properties is Maluku. This study was conducted to determine the effect of storage time of bacteria immobilized in Maluku sea’s carrageenan on proteolytic activity, the bacteria used were Bacillus megaterium. Bacterial immobilization of carrageenan was made at concentrations of 1%, 1.5%, and 2%, storage in cold conditions for up to 9 months. Protease activity was tested using Kunitz method by adding casein as a substrate. The optimal concentration of carrageenan for immobilization of Bacillus megaterium was obtained at a concentration of 1.5%. Protease isolated from immobilized Bacillus megaterium showed increased activity value from storage for 4 months (0.0489 Ug-1) to 7 months (0.1372 Ug-1), and decreased activity after being stored for 9 months (0.0501 Ug-1).

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa Nr 461252 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2021).