Keratinases: microbial sources, mechanisms, and industrial applications in waste valorization
Yuqing Chu, Shan Chu, Fengna Hu, Mohan Huang +4
AI summary
75% confidenceThis review examines keratinases as specialized proteases capable of degrading recalcitrant keratinous waste, such as feathers and hooves, which are difficult to break down due to their disulfide bond structures. It systematically details the microbial sources, enzymatic mechanisms, and industrial applications of these enzymes in waste valorization, including biogas production, bioactive peptide generation, and green leather processing. The paper highlights the potential for resource recovery while addressing current challenges hindering large-scale industrial implementation.
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Abstract
Keratinous waste, a major by-product of agriculture and animal husbandry, is produced in massive quantities and is notoriously recalcitrant to degradation. With the expansion of the poultry and livestock industries, keratinous waste accumulation (e.g., feathers, hooves, and horns) has become a pressing environmental concern. Keratin’s highly cross-linked disulfide bond structure is resistant to breakdown by common proteases. Keratinase, a specialized protease capable of specifically degrading keratin, has emerges as a pivotal tool for the valorization of keratinous waste, demonstrating significant potential in waste management and resource recovery. This review systematically summarizes the enzymatic properties, mechanisms of action, and microbial sources of keratinases. It elaborates on innovative keratinase applications in waste valorization (including biogas production, the generation of bioactive peptides and amino acid feedstocks, and bioplastic manufacturing) and green industries (including leather and textile processing), as well as in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and detergent sectors. This review provides an in-depth discussion of the major challenges hindering industrial-scale keratinase application, including low heterologous expression efficiency and insufficient stability under industrial conditions. Finally, it outlines future research directions, encompassing protein engineering, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted design, and multi-enzyme synergistic catalysis systems, aiming to offer forward-looking theoretical insights for advanced keratinase development and industrial application.
Key findings
- Keratinase is a specialized protease essential for breaking down the highly cross-linked disulfide bonds found in keratinous waste like feathers and horns.
- Industrial applications of keratinases extend beyond waste management to include biogas production, bioactive peptide synthesis, and manufacturing in the leather, textile, pharmaceutical, and detergent sectors.
- Despite significant potential for resource recovery, major challenges currently exist that limit the widespread industrial adoption of keratinase-based technologies.
Keywords
Identifiers
- Journal
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Year
- 2026