Thesis (BS Food Technology) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2010

Sixty-seven potentially amylolytic microorganisms were isolated from decomposing sago palm pith. Twenty-five starch hydrolyzing isolates were purified and screened for amylolytic activity. SB125, the most promising isolate, had an amylolytic activity of 1.45 U/mL. Morphological biochemical characterization of SB 125 revealed that it is a coccus, facultatively aerobic and Gram-negative. It is tested negative for the catalase test, for indole production and litmus milk reaction. However, it was positive for methyl red staining and starch hydrolysis. Amylase activity increased when SB 125 was grown on modified de Mann, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium without Ca2+ supplementation, under shaking condition, Partial enzyme purification yielded a specific activity of 5.51 U/mg at 1.32 fold purification and 13.4% recovery. The partially purified enzyme had an optimum activity at 400C and pH 8.5. enzyme immobilized by surface adsorption yielded a specific activity of 11.87 U/mg, significantly higher than the unimmobilized enzyme which yielded 5.51 U/mg. Enzyme immobilized by entrapment showed a decrease in activity at 3.65 U/mg, indicating that surface adsorption is more promising if SB 125 were to be developed for industrial application.