Production of protease by Bacillus subtilis grown on sardinelle heads and viscera flour

Fish flours from Sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) were prepared and tested for protease production by Bacillus subtilis. Protease synthesis was strongly induced when cells were grown in media containing only a combined head and viscera preparation. Sardinelle heads and viscera flour enhanced protease production up to 100% more than commercial peptones. The enhancement could have been due to a high lipid content, which might have contained nutritional factors acting as inducers, since defatting fish meal led to a decrease in protease production.