A Research Study on the Identification, Characterization, and Gelatinase Enzyme Activities of the Halotolerant Bacteria Isolated from Salinized Sheep Skins

This study was carried out in order to determine the production of gelatinase enzyme in isolates by isolating halophilic bacteria from saline-stored sheep skins. Accordingly, optimal temperature stability, optimum salt concentration, and plasmid-coded resistance status of the enzyme were investigated. Feed media that contain salt concentrations increasing periodically (with the rates of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%) to multiply bacteria isolated from sheep skins were used. In this study, 280 strains that were isolated according to the Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology were examined. In trials of gelatinase enzyme activities, it was determined that the strains that produced positive results were Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. and it was observed that isolates have the best ability of multiplying under the incubation conditions of 30oC in 3 days and that multiplication of bacteria slowed in the case of increasing salt concentration. The rates of 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 3% gelatinase feed media were used to determine the enzyme activities and it was revealed that in media containing 1.5% gelatin produced optimal enzyme activity. Positive gelatinase activity was observed only in 2.8% of the halophilic bacteria isolated from sheep skins. Halophilic strains performing plasmid coded enzyme activity was not observe