Bacillus megaterium sensu stricto (NCIB 7581) produced amylase throughout exponential growth and during the early-stationary phase. Enzyme synthesis occurred in the absence of α-glucans but the yield was maximal when malt extract or starch was supplied as carbon source. Of the nitrogen sources examined, soya flour stimulated the highest yield of amylase. The enzyme was susceptible to reagents that react with thiol groups and had an exo-action on starch yielding maltose with a β-anomeric configuration. It is concluded that the principal starch-hydrolysing enzyme from B. megaterium NCIB 7581 is a (1→4)-α-d-glucan maltohydrolase similar in its properties to other Bacillus and plant β-amylases.
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