Response Surface Methodology based Optimization of Microbial Amylase Production using Banana Peels as Carbon Source

Abstract

Amylase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of polysaccharides such as starch into small units include disaccharides and monosaccharides such as glucose. It is found diversely in different sources, including animals, plants, vegetables, fruits as well as microbes. Amylases of microbial origin are favorable due to many advantages. Besides, microbial enzymes production is more economical compared to other sources. Optimization of enzyme production is quite challenging, especially when it is conducted conventionally due to the many parameters involved. Hence, applying Response Surface Methodology facilitates the design of the experiment and optimizes the production effectively. In this study, three independent variables, namely (A) Temperature, (B) pH, and (C) Banana peels concentration, were selected for the optimization of the amylase production. The result of the study indicated that the run-6 has the highest activity of amylase at 4.10 U/mL, with the optimum temperature at 60°C, pH 6 and 25% (w/v) of banana peels concentration. Further optimization of the amylase production, including recombinant gene expression, different expression hosts, and purification of the crude amylase, are highly recommended.