THERMOPHILIC SOIL FUNGI IN THE VICINITY OF ʽʽAYATTʼʼ CITY AND THEIR ROLE IN KERATIN DEGRADATION

Abstract

Keratinase have extensive applications in food, feed, pharmaceutical and medical industries. The present study deals with isolation, identification and production of Keratinase by certain thermophilic and fungi locally isolated from soil. The results obtained can be summarized as follows:

1- Forty seven samples of animal manures and thirty eight samples of floor dust were randomly collected from the vicinity of Ayatt City. Keratinophilic and thermophilic fungi were isolated. A total of 26 sp belonging to 15 genera and 23 sp belonging to 17 genera of keratinophilic and thermophilic fungi were identified, respectively. Out of 76 encounters of animal manures Thamnostylum piriforme was the most frequent (10.52 %) followed by Aspergillus brasiliensis = Chrysosporium keratinophilum (7.89%) each. 78 encounters were isolated from floor dust. The most frequent was Arachniotus dankaliensis (10.25%) followed by Candida albicans (7.69%). 76 isolates of thermophilic fungi were isolated from animal manure. Aspergillus fumigatus is the most frequent (9.21%) followed by Aspergillus flavus va