Differentiation of alpha-amylase from various sources: an approach using selective inhibitors.

A radial diffusion assay in an agarose/starch gel utilizing crude kidney bean extract and a commercially prepared alpha-amylase inhibitor isolated from wheat seeds was developed and assessed to determine its ability to differentiate alpha-amylase from various sources. Kidney bean extract was found to have a greater inhibitory effect on AMY2, while the wheat lectin inhibitor was found to have a greater inhibitory effect on AMY1. Neither inhibitor was found to have any effect on commercially prepared bacterial alpha-amylase extract in both liquid preparations and dried stains. Mixtures of varying concentrations of pancreatic and salivary extracts also gave interpretable results. Additionally, dried stains prepared from human body fluids having high levels of AMY2 were differentiated from dried stains prepared from human body fluids containing high levels of AMY1.