TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Justification for the Study
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Agricultural Wastes
2.2 Plantain
2.3 Constituents of Plantain
2.3.1 Plantain peel
2.4 Cocoyam
2.4.1 Constituents of cocoyam
2.5 Sweet Potato
2.5.1 Constituents of Sweet Potato
2.6 Wheat
2.6.1 Constituents of wheat
2.7 Enzymes
2.7.1 Amylases
2.8 Microbial amylases
2.8.1 Fungal amylase
2.8.2 Bacterial amylase
2.8.3 Microbial amylase and degradable substrate
2.9 Starch
2.10 Amylase assays
2.11 Effect of temperature on microbial amylase
2.12 Effect of pH on microbial amylase
2.13 Amylase and Industrial applications
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population
3.3 Sample size and sampling Technique
3.3.1 Processing of plantain peel substrate (PPW)
3.3.2 Submerged fermentation of PPW
3.3.3 Processing of wheat waste (WW)
3.3.4 Processing of cocoyam waste (CW)
3.3.5 Processing of sweet potato waste (SPW)
3.3.6 Submerged fermentation of CW, SPW and WW
3.3.7 Sample size
3.4 Preparation of reagents and buffer
3.5 Isolation of Aspergillusjaponicus from cocoa
3.5.1 Molecular analysis and identification
3.5.2 Inoculum preparation (spore)
3.5.3 Inoculum preparation (mycelia)
3.6 Determination of physicochemical parameters
pH
Determination of sugar content
3.7 Extraction of crude enzyme
3.8 Amylase assay in crude enzyme
3.9 Production of α-Amylase using a chemically defined medium
3.10 Optimization
3.11 Effect of temperature on amylase activity
3.12 Effect of pH on amylase activity
3.13 Statistical analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Results
4.1.1 Growth of A. japonicus on PDA
4.1.2 Optimization of temperature for fermentation
4.1.3 pH in the culture filtrates containing SPW, CW, PW and WW
4.1.4 Sugar content in the culture filtrates containing SPW, CW, PW and WW
4.1.5 Amylase activity in crude enzyme produced by A. japonicus in undefined medium
4.1.6 pH of culture filtrates in defined medium
4.1.7 Amylase activity of crude enzyme by A. japonicus in defined medium
4.1.8 Effect of urea on α-Amylase production by A. japonicus in defined medium
4.1.9 Optimizing α-Amylase production using 2 g of SPW and CW
4.1.10 Optimizing α-Amylase production using 5 g of SPW and CW
4.1.11 Effect of pH on amylase activity
4.1.12 Effect of temperature on amylase activity
4.2 Discussion
4.2.1 Introduction
4.2.2 pH in the culture filtrates containing SPW, CW, PW and WW
4.2.3 Sugar content in the culture filtrates containing SPW, CW, PW and WW
4.2.4 Amylase activity in crude enzyme produced by A. japonicus in undefined medium &