[01] Temam Abrar Hamza, Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

Proteases are present in all forms of life, they are produced by microorganisms, various plants and animals. Among them bacterial proteases secure most important place due to their enormous industrial applications. They represent one of the largest groups of industrial enzymes and find application in detergents, leather, food, pharmaceutical and textile industries as well as silver recovery and bioremediation processes. The largest application of protease is in laundry detergents and leather industry, where they remove protein based stains from clothes and dehairing purpose, respectively. As the modern world focuses on ecofriendly products and product output, subsequently more chemical processes are being replaced by enzymatic methods. Today there is a need for new, improved and/or more versatile enzymes in order to develop more novel, sustainable and economically competitive production processes. In this review, some protease producing bacteria and protease classification as well as the techniques to enhance productivity of protease are discussed. The production of bacterial proteases using cheap and readily available substrates is delineated. The use of bacterial proteases in diverse industrial applications is also discussed. Finally, future prospects are proposed.

Bacteria, Protease, Bacillus , Enzyme, Industry

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