Influence of medium components on elastase production using crude sources by Bacillus sp. EL31410.

A newly isolated strain EL31410, producing elastase (E.C3.4.4.7) with high elastolytic activity was identified as Bacillus sp. In the medium optimization, it was found that wheat bran and soybean flour hydrosate were the best crude carbon and nitrogen source for enzyme production, respectively. Addition of corn steep flour can affect the bacterium growth and elastase production. A fractional factorial design was applied to study the main factors that affect the enzyme production, and central composite experimental design and response surface methodology were adopted to derive a statistical model for the effect of wheat bran and soybean flour hydrosate on elastase production. The experimental results showed that wheat bran had positive effect but soybean flour hydrosate had negative effect, on enzyme production. An initial concentration of 3.4% (w/v) wheat bran and 9.4% (v/v) soybean flour hydrosate were found to be optimal for enzyme production in batch culture. The time course of elastase production in the optimized medium composition was also described.