Abstract

The purification system of glucoamylase (glucan 1,4-α-glucosidase, EC 3. 2. 1. 3), some characteristics of the purified enzyme and hydrolysis rate of various raw starch were investigated through several experiments. The enzyme was produced on a solid, uncooked wheat bran medium of Aspergillus oryzae NR 3-6 isolated from traditional Korean Nuruk. The enzyme was homogeneously purified 6.8-fold with an overall yield of 28.3% by the criteria of disc- and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated to be 48 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum temperature and pH were 55℃ and 4.0, respectively. The enzyme was stable at a pH range of 3.0∼10.0 and below 45℃. Enzyme activity was inhibited about 27% by 1mM Hg^2+. The hydrolysis rate of raw wheat starch was shown to be 17.5-fold faster than the hydrolysis rate of soluble starch. The purified enzyme was identified as glucoamylase because the product of soluble starch by the purified enzyme was mainly glucose by thin layer chromatography.

• Keywords: Aspergillus oryzae NR 3-6; glucoamylase; Nuruk; raw starch