Sustainability of Poultry Waste: Bacterial Isolates for Efficient Biodegradation of Chicken Feathers

Abstract

Chicken feathers are the by-product in the poultry industry, where chickens are raised and processed for meats and eggs. This condition contributes to a major waste problem due to lack of efficient recycling methods. The conventional disposing method of poultry waste includes burning and chemical treatment, which contributes to environmental problems. Almost 90% of keratin content in chicken feathers will benefit a lot if these wastes are recycled effectively. Hence, the aim of the study is to assess the locally bacterial isolates that have higher potential in biodegradation of chicken feather. Soil samples with bacterial culture from 3 different locations (dumpsite area, poultry area and compost house) were collected to isolate the potential degrading bacteria. The highest feather degrader bacterial culture was isolated using milk agar and screened for the keratinase enzyme activity and feather degradation rate using basal salt media. Then, the Gram staining procedure was further carried out to categorize bacteria as Gram-positive or Gram-negative. The finding shows there is a total of 17 bacterial isolates from the soil of three different locations with the highest chicken feather degrading capability. It was found that bacterial isolate 16 has the highest keratinase enzyme activity which is 3.8 U/mL with the highest degradation rate of 42.8% of 10 g/L chicken feathers in 96 hours and it is Gram-positive. An optimization of the bacterial culture condition would increase the rate of chicken feather degradation and keratinase enzyme activity. In conclusion, locally isolated bacteria are proven to have the capability to degrade chicken feathers and able to have a good impact on sustainable poultry waste management.