PRODUCTION OF THERMOSTABLE α-AMYLASE THROUGH SOLID STATE FERMENTATION (SSF) BY USING THERMOPHILIC ANOXYBACILLUS SP.

The production of extracellular α-amylase (1,4- α -D-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1) by a newly isolated thermophilic bacteria Anoxybacillus sp. was studied in solid state fermentation (SSF). Bacterial strain was isolated from a thermal spring of Omer, Afyonkarahisar in Turkey. Agricultural wastes such as banana husk, wheat bran, rice husk, apple bark, orange bark, maize oil cake, lentil bran and pistachio shell were used for α-amylase production as solid substrates. Growth on rice husk gave the highest amylase activity. The maximum enzyme activity obtained was 3,628 U/mg of under optimum conditions of an fermentation time of 48 h, an incubation temperature of 60 °C, a pH of 6.0, a substrat particle size 1,500 µm, an initial moisture level of 60% and an inoculum level of 40% (v/w).