SCREENING OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGUS ASPERGILLUS SP. FOR AMYLASE PRODUCTION

In the present study, five isolated endophytic fungal spp. were tested for amylase production. A representative isolate AS-05 of Aspergillus spp. yielded an amylase chosen for further characterization for amylase production. The enzyme was further evaluated for its biochemical properties for optimization of carbon, nitrogen sources and pH. The optimum production of enzyme was observed when the production media containing maltose as a source of carbon, ammonium sulphate as a source of nitrogen and the broad range of pH with optimum yield at 7. This strain was found to produce amylase with enzymatic activity of 4.17μmol min-1 mg-1 at pH 7 and the protein content was found to be 32.7μg/ml. This study concluded that the diverse endophytic fungi can be potential source of enzymes and various industrially important biomolecules.