Expression and characterization of Bacillus licheniformis chitinase (ChiA), suitable for bioconversion of chitin waste

Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is an enzyme with multiple industrial applications. These include bioconversion of chitin waste, a highly resistant and abundant biopolymer from crustacean food industry, into glucosamine and chito-oligosaccharide value-added products. This paper reports on the expression of endochitinase (ChiA) from Bacillus licheniformis strain DSM8785 in E. coli and characterization of the recombinant enzyme. Recombinant ChiA could efficiently convert colloidal chitin to N-acetyl glucosamine and chitobiose at pH 4.0, 6.0 and 9.0 at 50 degrees C and retained its activity up to 3 days under these conditions, suggesting that this enzyme is suitable for bioconversion of chitin waste. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.