Chrysosporium queenslandicum: a potent keratinophilic fungus for keratinous waste degradation

Purpose Keratinous wastes are the solid environmentalpollutant generated from poultry farms, slaughterhousesand barber’s shops. The aim of the present study is thedegradation of keratinous wastes in an eco-friendly way bybiological methods, which should further be helpful toreduce the wastes and recycled into valuable feed andfertilizers.Methods Degradation of keratinous substrates was assessedby highly potent keratinophilic fungi, namelyChrysosporium queenslandicum TKKASb Apinis and R.G.Rees. This chicken feather degrading fungal strain previouslyisolated and identified by morphological and 18 srDNA sequencing in laboratory, was used in the presentstudy. Ch. queenslandicum was inoculated into the basalsalt medium (BSM) with keratinous substrates for 12 and24 days at 28 ± 2 C to observe degradation. The rate ofdegradation was expressed as weight loss of keratin substrateover incubation days and pH variation.Results In this study, Ch. queenslandicum showed maximumdegradation on chicken feathers followed by humannail clippings, animal hair and human hair. The degradationrate on chicken feather was 38.40 ± 0.80 and46.40 ± 2.50% after 12 and 24 days, respectively. Thebasal salt medium’s pH was increased over incubationtime. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinationalso demonstrated the degradation of chicken feathers.Conclusions The results suggest that Ch. queenslandicumpossess the potential biotechnological applications whichcan be used in the hydrolysis of keratinous waste andrecycling of poultry waste for environmental protection.The hydrolyzed keratinous material can also be utilized asthe source of fertilizers for plants and feed for animals.