The carbohydrases of Bacillus stearothermophilus NCIB 11412 and NCIB 10814

Two strains (NCIB 11412 and NCIB 10814) of the thermophilic organism (Bacillus stearothermophilus were found to produce complex carbohydrase systems. The enzyme activities in each system include alpha -amylase as the major component, maltase, pullulanase, a minor amylase and cyclodextrinase. The latter three activities are produced in low yield in both strains. A crude enzyme preparation from each strain possessed maltogenic properties on hydrolysis of soluble starch. Following rigorous purification procedures, the purified major alpha -amylase from either strain did not produce maltose as a major end-product of starch hydrolysis. However, a partially purified mixture of pullulanase, minor amylase and cyclodextrinase activities from NCIB 11412 and NCIB 10814 produced 56.4% and 62.0% maltose, respectively, from soluble starch.