Résumé:
This work focuses on a contribution to the recovery of agro-waste by producing high value-added products
whose poultry feathers, made up of more than 90% of keratin-type proteins, have been solubilized and
hydrolyzed bacteriologically for the production of keratin hydrolysate. The feathers were collected from
slaughterhouses in the Blida region and washed and then dried at 170 °C to remove unpleasant odors and
residue. The keratin hydrolysate was obtained by strains of the Bacillus genus which are cultured in a submerged
medium, containing feather meal as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, incubated at 37 °C for three days.
The production of the enzyme is estimated by assaying the keratinase activity. The results obtained revealed that
the CP22 strain gave better activity reaching 437.2 U/mL after the third day of fermentation. The obtained
hydrolysate is rich in essential amino acids, in particular cysteine and short peptide chains, which has led to a
successful application in cosmetics for the manufacture of a shampoo based on keratin hydrolysate. The finished
product complies with the microbiological and physicochemical control of the VENUS laboratory (Blida).
