Alpha -amylase is one of the most important and widely used enzymes, in food and beverage industries. The alpha-amylase presently used in starch saccharification requires calcium for activity and/or stability. The thermostable alpha- amylase produced by the actinomycetes strain Streptomyces erumpens is calcium independent.In this book, the process optimizations and production of alpha -amylase by this strain in solid state- and submerged- fermentation, and its applications in starch saccharification to sugar, for conversion in to lactic acid and ethanol have been discussed.

In Asian agriculture, cowdung is commonly used as organic manure to increase the crop productivity. This study provides scientific evidences to reinforce the concept on agricultural promotional activity of cowdung which is by and large associated with microorganisms present in it. Five Bacillus subtilis strains (CM1-CM5) were isolated from cowdung microflora which rendered biocontrol activity against Fusarium oxysporum and Botryodiplodia theobromae the post-harvest rot pathogens of yam (Dioscorea rotundata L.) tubers. Besides biocontrol, these strains exhibited solubilization of inorganic phosphorous and production of indole-3-acetic acid. Industrial grade food processing enzymes such as amylase and pectinase were produced by these organisms in submerged and solid state fermentation.