Production and characterization of pullulanase from Bacillus spp.

Today, microbial production has gained great importance in the production of enzymes. Pullulanases belong to a class called the α-amylase family. It cleaves polysaccharides with α-1,6 glycosidic bonds into monomers. Industrially, It is used in many fields such as starch hydrolysis, paper, textile, detergent and beer production. In this study, pullulanase was produced and partially purified from Bacillus spp. The optimum pH and temperature in the production of pullulanase, and the optimum pH and temperature at which the produced enzyme works were determined. At the same time, the characterization studies of the produced enzyme and the effect of various heavy metals on the enzyme stability were investigated. According to this study, 50˚C and pH 9.0 were determined as the most suitable conditions for pullulanase production. It was also observed that the optimum incubation time was 48 hours and the best substrate for production was starch. The temperature at which the produced enzyme showed the highest activity was calculated as 50˚C and the pH value was calculated as 9.0. Studies have shown that 5 mM concentrations of Co+2 and Mn+2 ions increase enzyme activity by 10% and 21%, respectively. Key Words: Bacillus spp., Pullulanase, Enzyme Production, Characterization