Title: Molecular characterization of α-amylase producing Brevibacillus borstelensis R1 isolated from Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam, India
Abstract: The present study is aimed to screen the potent α-amylase producing bacteria from the waters of Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam. As Bacillus species proved efficient in many industrial applications, our study is mainly focused on molecular characterization of potent α-amylase producing Bacillus species. The water samples were collected along the coast of Bay of Bengal, at four sites- Rushikonda, Appughur, Fishing harbor, Gangavaram and were cultured on enriched starch agar medium. The bacteria screened during the study (Aug., 2008 - Jun., 2010) were of Bacillus species. Out of 1618 isolates, 143 isolates exhibited 3-11mm clear zone of starch hydrolysis, 17 exhibited above 11mm and the rest of them yielded less than 3mm zone. By determining the α-amylase production of the isolates by 3, 5-Dinitro salicylic acid method, the high yielding 17 isolates were selected for identification. By using protocols from Bergey’s Manual Determinative Bacteriology, the colony, morphological and biochemical characterization of the high yielding α-amylase bacteria were identified and classified into five groups. The highest α-amylase yielding isolate was identified as Brevibacillus borstelensis R1 through 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and Mega BLAST score. BLASTN score was employed to construct the phylogenetic tree. The enzyme ability in starch processing, textile industry, improving shelf life of bread, ethanol production, sewage treatment and effluent treatment of industries are studied.