Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization of Bacillus Species Exhibiting Strong Proteolytic Activity Isolated from Terasi, An Indonesian Fermented Seafood Product

In this study, two bacilli strains namely S2-3 and S4-5, isolated from Terasi, a traditional fermented seafood product of Indonesia, were studied in terms of their phenotypic and genotypic properties. Both strains are of great interests due to their high proteolytic activity. Initially, they were subjected to morphological determination and a series of biochemical tests. These bacteria were Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacilli. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the identities of the strains S2-3 and S4-5 were confirmed as Bacillus thuringiensis and B. subtilis, respectively. Additionally, the two strains were also evaluated for their antibiogram profiles. It was found that they were susceptible to chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin, tetracycline and vancomycin and resistant to ampicillin and intermediately susceptible to bacitracin.