SOURCES OF AMYLASE-PRODUCING BACTERIA

In the search for bacteria possessing high amylolytic activity, some thousand or more isolates were screened on soluble starch agar and the extent of their activities determined qualitatively by the loss of medium response to Lugol\u27s iodine solution. The selected isolates were then grown on a liquid wheat bran medium and the resulting starch-dextrinizing activity measured quantitatively. No attempt was made to determine the properties of the various amylases. The primary purpose of this report is to point out the original sources from which the isolates were made and to correlate the nature of the substrates with the extent of amylase production by the bacteria