Abstract
Amylases are one of the key enzymes that are used in food and other biotechnological applications. These enzymes hydrolyze starch into polymers composed of glucose units and have prospective application in food, fermentation and pharmaceutical industries. Although Amylases can be obtained from sources such as plants, animals and microorganisms, the enzymes from fungal and bacterial species show profound applications in industries. We have identified two fungal species, Penicillium lilacinum and Aspergillus niger that efficiently produce invertase and αamylase. We have also identified optimal conditions for their production. The highest quantity of invertase (13.05 U/mL) was obtained from Penicillium lilacinum under these conditions: CM1, culture medium; yeast extract, nitrogen source; date syrup, carbon source; 96 h, incubation time period; culture medium pH 8.0; 40°C, incubation temperature 40°C; inoculum size conidia 6x106 , agitation rate 200 rev/min. The highest amount of α-amylase (8.14 U/mL) was obtained by Aspergillus niger under conditions: M1, culture medium; yeast extract as, nitrogen source; molasses as carbon source; incubation time period 72 h; initial pH of culture medium 6.5; incubation temperature 40°C; inoculum size 5x106 conidia; agitation rate150 rev/min. These strains are potential candidates for industrial use because these enzymes maintain their activities even at harsh pH and temperature conditions.
