Methionine Production and Optimization Using Bacillus cereus Isolated From Soil

Fermentation processes have become a common practice for overproduction of amino acids nowadays as it is cheaper and easier than other processes for commercial production of methionine and other essential amino acids. Methionine is a sulfur-containing essential amino acid required in the diet of humans and other animals for normal growth and functions of the body. It is widely used in feed, pharmaceutical and food industries. The research was focused on fermentative production of Methionine by Bacillus cereus isolated from soil. Methionine was produced under optimized conditions (Temperature, pH, Incubation time and agitation rate) using one factor at a time (OFAT). Optimum methionine yield of (4.520 mg/mL) was obtained at temperature of 35oC, pH of 7.5, and agitation rate of 125 rpm and incubation time of 96 h using OFAT. Characterization of methionine produced using Bacillus cereus shows similar properties with the commercially produced methionine by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) which shows the amino and carbonyl group spectrum at 1640 cm-1 and 3257 cm-1 respectively. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) showed a band of methionine produced by bacillus cereus aligned with the commercial methionine.