A novel alkaline protease exhibiting a feature of halotolerance and activity as well as stability in the presence of oxidants as well as surfactants is provided. While the protease exhibits elastolytic activity, there is no collagenolytic activity. The alkaline protease is prepared from a strain of Bacillus subtilis, designated as MTCC 5333, using submerged fermentation technique, wherein the production medium is prepared without using any common salt or alkali and the pH of the said medium is the neutral range. The protease finds potential application in leather processing and detergent industries.
