Screening, purification, and characterization of a leather-degrading protease

A bacterium which secreted natural leather powder-degrading protease was obtained by successive screening using media containing white meal, gelatin, and leather powder. The selected and isolated strain (PN-13) belongs to the family of Bacillus. A protease (PN-13 protease) secreted by the Bacillus sp. PN-13 was purified from culture supernatant. The protease was homogeneously purified and the molecular mass was estimated as 30 kDa. The protease hydrolyzed casein, gelatin, and especially leather powder effectively under alkaline conditions.