PILOT PLANT PRODUCTION OF AMYLASE AND GLUCOAMYLASE.
Amylolytic enzymes, amylase (E.C.3.2.1.1) and glucoamylase (E.C.3.2.1.3) were produced by solid state fermentation using Aspergillus niger. The isolate was obtained from soil rich cassava waste dumpsite using standard laboratory techniques. The isolate was further screened using a starch agar medium by spot streaking method to ascertain the ability of the microorganism to degrade starch. Amylase and glucoamylase were produced at pH 7.0 and pH 4.5 respectively. The culture medium consists of rice bran as solid matter mixed with mineral salt solution (MgSO4.7H2O, 0.5g/l; KCl, 0.5g/l; Soluble starch, 1.0g/l, Bacteriological peptone, 6.0g/l). While the production medium was sterilized at 121oC for 20minutes and further allowed to cool, an inoculum size of 1.2 x 10-7 was inoculated into the medium and mixed thoroughly. The culture medium was incubated at 25oC for 120 hours. Crude extracts of amylase and glucoamylase respectively were collected by filtration using muslin clothes at the end of fermentation period and further centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes to obtain clarity. The crude extracts were subjected to purification using ammonium sulphate precipitation method and 60% purified amylase and glucoamylase were achieved. Assay was carried out on amylase and glucoamylase produced. The results obtained for amylase assay gave the following; Activity, 9952.743µmol/l; Specific activity, 163.199µmolmin-1mg-1and Protein concentration, 60.98522mg/ml. While the assay for glucoamylase gave the following; Activity, 16835.32µmol/l; Specific activity, 347.855µmolmin-1mg-1 and Protein concentration, 48.3976mg/ml.