Production of Microbial Bio-Pesticides from Waste Disposal of Chicken Feathers

Abstract

EditorialChicken feathers, obtainable worldwide, as a cheap bioorganic waste, are an extremely valuable substrates, for the commercial production of bio-pesticide by entomopathogenic bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis, Bti and B. sphaericus, Bs), mainly in emerging nations, in the direction of vector control operation. Every day, huge amount of bio-organic wastes are released from food based manufacturing industries, poultries, factories and fisheries. Alternative disposal or bio-remediation methods are investigated for disposal of different wastes like sludge, various liquid wastes, organic and solid wastes discharged from food processing industries. Discarding or handling of these kinds of wastes as untreated disposal without gaining additional profit has led to develop the bio-pesticides by using bioorganic waste substances into cost-effective vector control programs.Chicken feathers were characterized for their chemical composition and generally it accumulated proteins, mainly keratins. Keratins are the major structural proteins which are highly resistant against biodegradation [1]. Earlier researchers reported that B. licheniformis can utilized to degrade keratin containing waste from poultry forms by producing keratin degrading enzyme (keratinase) for making animal feed and manure [2][3][4]. Keratins are made up two main subunits such as alpha and beta keratins which composed various amino acids [5]. The feathers are mainly composed of beta-keratin [6,7]. The investigation spotlights on degradation of the keratin containing chicken feathers by the bacterial strains of B. thuringiensis serovar israelensis (Bti) and Bacillus sphaericus (Bs) which are helpful in the production of endotoxins to destroy the mosquito larvae.B. thuringiensis serovar israelensis (Bti) and B. sphaericus (Bs) has been gaining much importance, in mosquito larval control programs, as a proficient substitute to conventional insecticides. The mosquito larvicidal property of Bs and Bti is mainly due to the existence of intracellular crystal toxins, synthesized during sporulation (Bs: 51 and 42 kDa proteins; Bti: 134, 125, 67 and 27 kDa proteins) [8,9]. Nevertheless, the cost of producing these bacteria, utilizing conventional culture media (like LB, NB, NYSM, etc.), is very high. As a result, selection of other efficient, but, cost-effective substrates have alternative to, by many researchers [10,11]. The purpose of this editorial review is to investigate the feasibility of degrading keratin containing waste, disposed in mass as environmental waste, for the making of culture media to fabricate bacterial toxins (Bti and Bs). This technique helps to maintain a cleaner environment by avoiding the dumping of poultry waste.All forms of chicken feather waste (CFW) such as, filoplume, semiplume and contour from broiler chickens (Gallus gallus) were gathered from the poultry industries, rinsed with distilled water, airdried, powdered to fine powder reliability in a grinding mill and stored in packed condition at room temperatur...