α-Amylase production by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens utilizing macauba cake (Acrocomia aculeata) and peach palm flour (Bactris gasipaes – kunth) as substrates

Abstract

The objective in the present study was to evaluate α-amylase production by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ATCC 23350 in submerged culture using untreated macauba cake and peach palm flour as substrates. The cultures were shaken at 120 rpm, 30 °C for 36 h. The effects of pH and weight/volume ratio (W/V) on the α-amylase activity were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). Protease production was also evaluated. The maximum activity was obtained after 24 h under process conditions adjusted to 1/12 of W/V and pH 7.0 for both substrates. The process that utilized peach palm flour exhibited a much higher α-amylase activity (3330.6 UmL⁻¹) than for macauba cake (196.0 UmL⁻¹).

Keywords:

• α-Amylase
• Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
• macauba cake
• peach palm flour
• submerged culture

Acknowledgments

The Authors acknowledge CNPQ (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), CAPES (Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement) and FAPEMIG (The State of Minas Gerais Research Foundation) for the master's scholarship, project funding. We also thank to Tropical Culture Collection from André Tosello Foundation for providing the bacteria strain.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.