• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.260-267
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• 1990

The mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis of raw corn starch by the purified glucoamylase and a - amylase in an agitated bead reaction system was studied by investigating the changes of sugar profiles produced by each enzyme, the granular structure of raw corn starch, the amount of enzyme adsorption on residual starch, and the amylose content in residual raw starch. The sugar profiles produced by the action of exo-type glucoamylase or endo-type $\alpha$ -amylase in an agitated bead system were not recognizably differed with those produced in reaction system without bead. Without enzyme the intergenic microcrystalline structure of starch granule was not changed by the simple mechanical impact of solid media, but it was cleaved. However, starch granule was fragment into large number of small particles by the synergistic action of enzyme and attrition-milling media, identified to be the major saccharification enhancing mechanism along with the increased amount of enzyme adsorption. The amylose content decreased more readily in an agitated bead reaction system, especially by $\alpha$ -amylase.