Screening of Amylase Producing Yeasts from Agricultural Wastes

Student: Chukwunonso David Nwofor (Project, 2025)
Department of Microbiology
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra State

Abstract

Amylases are glycoside hydrolases, which are enzymes that facilitate the hydrolysis of complex sugars, such as starch and glycogen, into smaller sugar molecules. A total of 3 waste samples including yam, plantain and mango peels were explored for isolated amylolytic yeast. The were washed, drained, diced, serially diluted and then cultured on yeast extract peptone dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol. Six morphologically distinct colonies (YMI, YM3, PT2, MG3, MG1 and PT3) were picked and screened for their amylase production ability. Only YM1 exhibited amylolytic activity according to the qualitative test results with a starch hydrolysis ratio of 3.46. Fiveyeast isolates did not show inhibition zones due to their inability to break down starch.YMI was identified as Geotrichum spp. The result of the work shows that amylaseproducing yeasts can be isolated from wastes (non-food materials) materials and can as potential substrate for amylase production.

Keywords
amylase-producing yeasts agricultural wastes enzyme production yeast screening agro-waste utilization industrial enzymes bioconversion fermentation sustainable biotechnology
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