EVALUATION OF EINKORN BRAN AS SUBSTRATE FOR SYNTHESIS OF ALPHA AMYLASE FROM PENICILLIUM HERQUEI IN SOLID STATE FERMENTATION PROCESS

Abstract

Solid State Fermentation (SSF) is a process defined as microorganismsgrowing on a solid substrate in the absence of water. It is similar to naturalmicrobial processes such as composting and ensiling. This technique has beenknown for a long time and is used widely in the Far East.  It can be also used in industrialapplications such as Roquefort cheese, antibiotics, organic acids, plantgrowing agents, food additive materials and enzyme production. In this study,?-amylase production was done in SSF process from Penicillium herquei. Agricultural by-products such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bran and einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) bran have beentested for enzyme production, individually and as a mixture. The highest enzymeactivity (602 U/gds±5.6) was recorded in the SSF process where einkorn bran wasused as the substrate. The process parameters such as initial moisture level andsubstrate amounts were optimized to determine their effects on enzyme synthesisfrom P. herquei.