Research and Reviews: Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Isolation of Amylase Producing Bacteria from Solar Salterns of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT α-Amylases are a class of starch degrading enzymes catalyzing the hydrolysis of internal α-1,4-O-glycosidic bonds in polysaccharides. The following investigation were carried out to isolate haloalkaliphilic bacteria, a group of organisms with twin extremities of pH and salinity, capable of producing α-amylases from an artificial solar saltern. A total of 25 discrete colonies were isolated, 21 isolates showed amylase production. Among these 7 isolates produced amylase at extreme conditions such as salt, alkalinity and temperature. The isolates were characterized biochemically and also for other enzymes. From the results it is imperative that these isolates can be further studied to exploit them up to industrial scale