Amylase Properties in Corn during Germination

Factors influencing the activity of amylase, the changes of total amylase, and the optimal germination conditions of α- amylase and β- amylase in corn were studied. The molecular weight of α- amylase and β- amylase were determined by SDS- PAGE, while α- amylase and β- amylase were separated by Sephadex G-100 chromatography column. The results showed that the amylase activity is affected by moisture content, temperature, light and gibberellin acid (GA). The optimum activity of amylase was obtained in the following conditions: moisture content 35%, temperature 30℃, gibberellin acid 30 mg/L, and natural light radiation. During germination the activities of α- amylase increased slowly and much slower than that of β- amylase, while the activities of total amylase and β- amylase increase quickly respectively. The molecular weights of α- amylase and β-amylase are 189.82×103D and 54.26×103D, respectively.