Agronomic wastes have attracted worldwide attention as these can act as potential raw materials which may be utilized microbiologically for conversion into bio-based products and bioenergy. Amylases are industrially important enzymes that can be produced from different sources including microorganisms. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was employed to produce amylase from the rhizosphere isolate of Aspergillus flavus and the amylase assay was performed by the dinitrosalicylic acid method with absorbance at 540 nm. Among the several agronomic wastes, sugarcane bagasse supported the highest yield of amylase. Maltose and yeast extract (1% w/w) when used as supplements enhanced the enzyme production. Optimization of the physical parameters revealed the optimum pH, temperature and incubation period for amylase production by the isolate as 6.0, 30°C and 120 h, respectively. The apparent molecular weight of the enzyme following sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was found to be 55 kDa. The partially purified enzyme was optimally active at 80°C and pH 7.0. The enzyme being stable at elevated temperatures emphasizes that it may meet the requirements of thermostable amylase in starch processing industries, where extremes of temperatures are often involved.
