Abstract

Chitinases have huge potential applications and biological value in industries, they are used in generating single cell proteins, sweeteners, insecticides, antifungal drugs, anti-cancer agents, biopesticides, food processing agents, degrading agents for sea waste etc. Chitinases are used for the conversion of chitin a polysaccharide into monomers. Chitin is produced enormously in the biosphere annually from fungal cell walls, exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans. Chitinases producing microorganisms Bacillus licheniformis, Chromobacterium violaceum, Rhizobium radiobacter, Streptomyces griseous were obtained from microbial type culture collection. Solid state fermentation was done on Naturally available substrates like Fish scale waste, Prawn shell waste, Wheat bran, Potato peel, Grape leaf to check the enhanced production of Chitinase. Prawn shell waste was found to be the best natural substrate for high activity of Chitinase (464.98 U/g). The overall maximum yield of Chitinase, Chtinolytic activity (531.66 U/gds) was achieved with the optimized process parameters of incubation time(60th h), temperature(34°), inoculum age(3rd d), inoculums volume(20 % v/w), pH(7.0) moisture content 60 % v/w), 1.5 % w/w starch as Carbon source supplement and 1 % w/w urea as Nitrogen source supplement. Both physico-chemical and nutritional parameters had played a significant role in the production of the Chitinase enzyme.