Evaluation of mango seed kernel and pineapple peels as carbon sources for microbial protease production

Proteolytic enzymes are ubiquitous in occurrence and find multiple applications in various industrial sectors. Although there are many microbial sources available for producing proteases, only a few are recognized as commercial producers. Utilization and recycling of renewable resources that pose threat to the environment can be systematically carried out to bring about resource productivity needed to make human activity sustainable. In the present study, we evaluated the phytochemical, antimicrobial, and protease production ability of mango seed kernel and pineapple peels. The proximate compositions and antimicrobial analysis of Mango seed kernel and pineapple peels were evaluated using standard protocols. We evaluated the protease production of Bacillus megaterium using the mango seed kernel and pineapple peels as the carbon sources. Our results revealed that mango seed kernel has low moisture, ash and crude fibre content but has high oil and crude protein content while pineapple peels have high moisture and fibre content but low in ash, crude protein and oil content. Mango seed extract also demonstrated antimicrobial activities against B. subtilis, less sensitive to B. megaterium and no activity against A. niger. However, the pineapple peel extracted is highly sensitive to B. subtilis and S aureus but demonstrated no activity against P. aeroginosa and A niger. The B. megaterium exhibited higher protease production ability when mango seed kernel was used as a carbon source at all tested concentrations. In conclusion, the information obtained from proximate and antimicrobial analysis of mango seed kernel and pineapple peels serves as a guide for the possible utilization as carbon sources for microbial enzyme production. Thus, both pineapple peel and mango seed kernel can be bio-remediated when used as carbon sources for protease production.