Antifungal Chitinase Production by Bacillus paramycoides B26 using Squid Pen Powder as a Carbon Source

Abstract

This study aimed to optimize the medium compositions and cultural conditions for improved chitinase production by a potential strain of Bacillus isolated from the marine environment and determine the antifungal activity of its chitinase against plant pathogenic fungi. Five potential isolates were cultured for chitinase production by submerged fermentation using colloidal chitin in a liquid medium. In this study, chitinase activity was determined by measuring reducing sugars, which were determined by the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) assay. The most potential isolate, B26, showed similarity to Bacillus paramycoides based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence. The maximum chitinase production was achieved at 6.52±0.02 U/mL after 72 h of incubation in a medium containing 2% squid pen powder, supplemented with 0.5% sodium nitrate and 2% NaCl, with an initial pH of 7. It was observed that the optimization of cultural conditions resulted in 2.83 times higher chitinase production than an unoptimized medium. The antifungal activity of crude chitinase against phytopathogenic fungi was evaluated by a well-diffusion method. The chitinase of B. paramycoides B26 effectively inhibited the growth of Fusarium solani TISTR 3436 (83.4%) and Penicillium chrysogenum TISTR 3554 (80.12%).