Enzymatic activity of serine proteases in the hemolymph plasma of hoeseshoe crab tachypleus

Abstract

There have been several studies made to date that focus on industrial enzymes which are seen as very crucial and important to the growing market of industrial enzymes. In order to seek for alternative and a new source of major enzyme especially in lather industry, a research had been done to determine the activity of serine proteases from the less precious hemolymph plasma of horseshoe crab Tachypleus gigas. An optimization of the serine proteases activity was detennined using three parameters which are hemolymph plasma volume, temperature and incubation time. The experiment has recorded the optimum temperature for the activity of serine proteases at 400C and incubation time at one hour. Optimum volume of hemolymph plasma however could not be determined. From the reading of serine proteases activity from the assay, unfortunately, very low activity of serine proteases occurred in the hemolymph plasma of horseshoe crab, T.gigas, thus making hemolymph plasma not a suitable source for serine proteases in mass production industry.