Chitinolytic activity of bacteria and fungi isolated from shrimp exoskeletons

Microbiological analysis of shrimp exoskeletons demonstrated considerable differences in abundance of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi. The number of heterotrophic bacteria was greater by two orders of magnitude than that of fungi. The survey, however, did not reveal significant differences in abundances of bacteria and fungi in samples collected during different months of the survey. The percent contribution of chitinolytic fungi in shrimp exoskeletons was greater than that of bacteria that hydrolyze chitin. The activity of chitinase bacteria was always higher than fungi. Chitinases produced by bacteria demonstrated the highest level of activity at 40°C and pH = 8. In contrast, fungal chitinases showed the highest activity at 50°C and pH = 5.