Starch and Microbial α-Amylases: From Concepts to Biotechnological Applications

Starch is a polymer of glucose linked to one another through the C1 oxygen, known as the glycosidic bond. Amylases are capable of digesting these glycosidic linkages found in starch. Amylases have been isolated from diversified sources including plants, animals, and microbes, where they play a dominant role in carbohydrate metabolism. In spite of the wide distribution of α-amylase, microbial sources are used for the industrial production. This is due to their advantages such as cost effectiveness, consistency, less time and space required for production as well as ease of process modification and optimization.