Effect of the initial pH on the growth of a proteinase-producing alkalophilic Bacillus species

The subject matter of this work was the investigatioon of the growth of a proteinase-producing alkalophilic Bacillus species as a step towards the development of an industrial process for proteinase production. The basic medium consisted of molasses as the carbon/energy source and urea as the main nitrogen source. Growth in media with different initial pH values was investigated. It was shown that the microorganism was capable of changing the pH of the medium to a final value inside the range 8.5-10 and growth was observed for all initial pH values used. Growth at an initial pH near 10 showed, however, better growth and smoother growth curve. Maximum specific growth rate,umax, of 0.34 h was obtaneid under this condition