Among bacteria, Bacillus sp. is widely used for thermostable
a-amylase production to meet industrial needs.
B. subtilis, B. stearothermophilus, B. licheniformis and B. amyloliquefaciens
are known to be good producers of a-amylase
and these have been widely used for commercial
production of the enzyme for various applications. Similarly,
filamentous fungi have been widely used for the
production of amylases for centuries. As these moulds
are known to be prolific producers of extracellular proteins,
they are widely exploited for the production of
different enzymes including a-amylase. Fungi belonging
to the genus Aspergillus have been most commonly employed
for the production of a-amylase. Production of
enzymes by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using these
moulds turned a cost-effective production technique.
Detailed literature is available on various microbial sources
for the production of amylases