Microbial Alkaline Protease: Production, Purification, and Applications

Abstract

This review focuses on the production and use of alkaline proteases by various microbes. The digestive enzyme protease, also known as proteinase or peptidase, is one of the proteolytic enzymes and has a lot of potential for application in the industry. Animals, plants, and microbes can all produce this enzyme. This enzyme falls under the category of digestive enzymes and is responsible for the breakdown of peptide bonds. Only microorganisms can provide a sustainable form of the enzyme, which is one of the sources of microbial proteases. The most common producers of microbial protease are bacteria and fungi. Since proteases exhibit characteristics of biotechnological interest, they have developed into important industrial enzymes. Enzymes used in industry are essential for bioprocess success. With almost half of the market, industrial technical enzymes are the most popular category used in the production of detergent, pulp, and paper. The majority of these enzymes have been held by alkaline proteases, which makes them the most valuable commercial enzymes. Alkaline proteases are used in the leather and detergent industries, and there is an increasing demand to develop novel proteases in an environmentally friendly process. Because of their rapid growth and ease of genetic modification, microbes are the best source for producing proteases that have desirable altered properties to meet the requirements of various industries. This microbial alkaline protease can be made either in submerged or solid-state fermentation. In both states, a different substrate aids in the production of proteases. The most important step after alkaline protease production is purification using concentration and precipitation techniques. Numerous factors, such as temperature and pH, have a significant impact on alkaline protease production. Bacterial alkaline protease has made significant contributions to the leather and food industries, detergent and pharmaceutical industries, waste management, silver recovery, etc. Furthermore, drug discovery in medicine requires this enzyme. The current review describes the processes for producing microbial proteases and studies how they are used in various industries.