Serratia marcescens B4A Chitinase Product Optimization Using Taguchi Approach

Chitinase production by newly isolated Serratia marcescens B4A was optimized following Taguchi’sarray methods. Twenty-three bacterial isolates were screened from shrimp culture ponds in the South ofIran. A chitinase-producing bacterium was isolated based on it’s ability to utilize chitin as the sole carbonsource. The isolate designated as B4A, was identified as Serratia marcescens based on its 16S rRNAsequence and key morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. The cultivation of Serratiamarcescens B4A in the appropriate liquid medium resulted in production of high levels of chitinase. Themalt extract and colloidal chitin represented the best nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. Chitinaseproduction by Serratia marcescens B4A was optimized following the Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) for thedesign of experiments (DOE). Statistical experimental design via the Taguchi method was applied to determine the optimal levels of physical parameters and key media components in the medium, such as temperature, pH, NaCl and chitin concentrations. The results of this study showed that temperature of 30ºC, pH 7.9, NaCl 0.1% (w/v) and chitin 1% (w/v) are optimal conditions for this protocol.