A critical asessment of a viscometric assay for measuring Saccharomycopsis fibuligera #alpha#-amylase activity on gelatinised cassava starch

摘要

A viscometric technique for measuring Saccharomycopsis fibuligera DSM-70554 #alpha#-amylase on gleatinised cassava starch aqueous solutions was assessed. the selected conditions for working over a reliable viscosity measurement range involved a starch concentration of 5% (w/v) and a shear rate of 0.168 1/s. Viscometric assay involved the determination of the slope of the decrease in viscosity with time of the starch solution consequent on enzyme addition. Thereafter, a calibration curve was constructed by plotting the slopes, expressed in arbitrary viscometric units (AVU), versus the corresponding absolute activity (in IU) of either the commercial #alpha#-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae (up to 0.1 IU) or the S. fibuligera DSM-70554 #alpha#-amylase (up to ca. 0.4 IU). The amout of enzyme expressed in absolute terms prouduced different liquefying activities according to the #alpha#-amylase tested, emphiasising the necessity of this correlation to be carried out for the particular enzyme being measured. In this work, a linear relationship and a very good correlation factor were achieved for the calibration of both amylases. Likewise, #alpha#-amylase activities determined according to the conventional reducing sugar determination and the colorimetric assay with iodine were proportional to those viscometrically obtianed. both for A. oryzae and S. fibuligera #alpha#-amylase, validating conversions between different units. The viscometric assay herein described showed to be specific and sensitive and, after its calibration, it allows to convert #alpha#-amylase measurements in absolute units thus facilitating future comparisons.