Activity of α-amylase Produced by Aspergillus niger at Different pH, Temperature and Incubation Time Using Solid-state Fermentation Process of Corn and Wheat Wastes

In Nigeria, agro by-products have not been fully utilized by many and often discarded at the dumping site. This anthropogenic activity is contributing to an increase in pollution and is a threat to public health. Environmental sustainability requires the wise use of resources that include agro by-products. Therefore, there is a need to utilize the agro by-product for the production of enzymes such as α-amylase. α -amylase is one of the important extracellular enzymes with several uses. The development of suitable technology to produce enzymes at a very lower cost is significant. The solid-state fermentation (SSF) process using corn and wheat wastes as a substrate have been utilized. In this study, Aspergillus niger from abattoir effluent was identified, isolated and used for the production of an enzyme (α-amylase). The study evaluated the effect of temperature, pH and incubation period on the activities of α-amylase produced by Aspergillus niger. The activity of α-amylase was found to be higher at pH 6.5 and temperature above 50oC. At 4 days incubation of the solid-state fermentation of corn and wheat wastes, α-amylase activities produced were 90.61 Unit/mL and 87.34 Unit/mL respectively. Also in this study, 3-dimensional presentation of the pH, temperature and incubation time were evaluated. The result presented an optimal condition for amylase activity produced by Aspergillus niger.