Characterization of a Potato Starch-digesting Bacterium and Its Production of Amylase

A bacterium which can utilize potato starch granules as sole carbon source was isolated and identified as Bacillus circulans from its physiological and biochemical properties. Scanning electron microscopic observation of potato starch granules recovered from the culture broth revealed that granules were degraded gradually from their surface resulting in elongated granules with layered structures on their surface. This bacterium produced extracellular amylase which can digest potato starch granules in vitro. The amylase has a unique property in that it produces only maltohexaose from gelatinized starch in the early stage of the reaction. For the production of this amylase potato starch was found to be most effective while soluble sugars including gelatinized starch and maltose had little effect.