Condition stabilization for Aspergillus niger FCBP-198 and its hyperactive mutants to yield high titres of alpha-amylase.

A number of substrates were tested for the cultivation of microorganisms to produce a host of enzymes. The effect of different substrates (wheat and rice straw, sugar cane waste, wood waste), incubation temperatures (20-40 degrees C), initial pH levels (3.5-9.0), incubation periods (0-72 hours) and nitrogen sources (ammonium sulfate, urea, peptone, yeast extract, sodium nitrate) on growth and alpha-amylase activity was studied for the native and mutant strains. Maximum enzyme activity was observed at 1.5% wheat straw for Aspergillus niger FCBP-198 and An-Ch-4.7 and at 2% wheat straw for An-UV-5.6, with sodium nitrate as a principle nitrogen source. The optimum temperature for maximum enzyme activity was 30 degrees C for the parental strain, while An-UV-5.6 and An-Ch-4.7 thrived well at 32.5 degrees C. The best conditions of pH and incubation duration were 4.5 and 48 hours, respectively, for all the strains. Mass production under preoptimized growth conditions demonstrated the suitability of wheat straw for swift mycelial colonization and viability.