Actinomycetes isolated from the Arctic sediment were evaluated for the production of the enzyme l‐asparaginase, an enzyme used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The most potent strain Streptomyces koyangensis SK4 was selected for l‐asparaginase enzyme production by submerged fermentation. The effect of various fermentation parameters on enzyme production was analyzed statistically using the Plackett–Burman design and response surface method. Effects of eight parameters including temperature, pH, incubation time, inoculum size, agitation speed, the concentration of starch, l‐asparagine, and yeast extract were studied on l‐asparaginase production by the Arctic isolate S. koyangensis SK4. Factors such as temperature, pH, incubation time, agitation speed, and l‐asparagine concentration were found to be important factors influencing  l‐asparaginase production. Maximum enzyme activity of 136 IU/ml was obtained at 20°C on the seventh day of incubation in the asparagine dextrose broth maintained at pH 7.5, agitation speed 125 rpm, and l‐asparagine concentration of 7.5 g/L. The statistical optimization method described in this study proved effective for increasing the l‐asparaginase production by Arctic actinomycetes.

Cold active enzymes are valuable biocatalysts, due to their capacity to withstand extreme conditions. Microbial lipases are widely used in biotechnological applications as well as in industries due to their broad substrate specificity, and higher stability with less production costs compared to other sources. In the present study, bacterial strains were isolated from the surface and sub-surface sediment samples of the Arctic fjord and were screened for lipase enzyme production. From the 73 isolates that were screened, 8 isolates are considered to be good lipase producers. Among the 8 isolates, Bacillus cereus I13 produced lipase with the activity of 11.42 U/ml on the 4th day of incubation at 20 °C along with the highest zone of clearance of 27 mm in the agar well diffusion plate method. The optimum condition for higher lipase production was at pH 7.0, a temperature of 20 °C, an incubation period of 96 hours with glucose as a carbon source, yeast as the nitrogen source, and olive oil as substrate. Bacillus cereus I13 from Arctic fjord sediments can be used as a potential candidate for the industrial production of cold-active lipase. The optimization studies described in the study proved that lipase production can be effectively increased using these potent isolates.