Exploration of
Penicillium spp. for α-amylase secretion from forest soil of Chakrashila Wildlife
Sanctuary, Assam
Swargiari Bhisma Narayan and Patgiri Saranga Ranjan
Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 21(1); 63-68;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/211rjbt063068; (2026)
Abstract
In industrial microbiology, α-amylase holds the top priority with a worldwide enzyme
market share of about 30%. The commercial demand of amylases is fulfilled by few
species of Bacillus and Aspergillus. α-amylases are also evidenced to be produced
by a number of Penicillium species. The experiment was designed for isolation and
also for identification of species of Penicillium from diverse soil habitats collected
from Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. The species were also screened
to check the capacity to synthesize amylase in laboratory conditions. During the
investigation, 24 numbers of Penicillium cultures were identified and examined for
their capacity to generate amylase.
Among the 24 isolates of Penicillium, 10 numbers of isolates exhibited clear zone
formation on solid starch agar medium indicating significant amylase activity. 10
isolates having amylolytic activity terms of clear zone formation were again screened
in starch broth for amylase synthesis and it was noted that Penicillium isolate
S1 has highest amylase activity. DNA sequencing followed by BLAST analysis of Penicillium
isolate S1 with NCBI database was used to identify the species to be Penicillium
citrinum. This study adds to the catalogue of local fungi that have been isolated
in Assam and offers further information to support future research about the secondary
metabolites such as industrial enzymes.
