Production of amylase MCQs With Answer

Introduction: Production of amylase MCQs With Answer offers M.Pharm students a focused revision tool on the microbial production, optimization, purification and industrial application of amylases. This set covers fermentation strategies, enzyme characterization, kinetics, genetic and process engineering, downstream processing and regulatory considerations relevant to pharmaceutical biotechnology. Questions emphasize critical parameters such as media composition, solid-state vs submerged fermentation, enzyme stabilization (e.g., role of Ca2+), immobilization techniques, and assay interpretation. Designed at postgraduate level, the MCQs reinforce conceptual understanding and application of advanced principles for designing, scaling and evaluating amylase production systems used in pharmaceutical and allied industries.

Q1. Which microbial genus is most commonly preferred for industrial production of thermostable alpha-amylases due to high secretion levels and GRAS status?

• Bacillus
• Escherichia
• Saccharomyces
• Pseudomonas

Correct Answer: Bacillus

Q2. Which fermentation mode is typically favored when using agro-industrial solid substrates (e.g., wheat bran, rice bran) to produce fungal amylases with higher volumetric enzyme productivity?

• Solid-state fermentation (SSF)
• Submerged fermentation (SmF)
• Chemostat continuous fermentation
• Membrane bioreactor perfusion

Correct Answer: Solid-state fermentation (SSF)

Q3. In submerged fermentation for Bacillus sp. amylase production, which medium component most directly provides the inducer and carbon source for enzyme synthesis?

• Soluble starch
• Yeast extract
• Ammonium sulfate
• Sodium chloride

Correct Answer: Soluble starch

Q4. Which metal ion is commonly required to stabilize many bacterial alpha-amylases and enhance their catalytic activity?

• Calcium (Ca2+)
• Mercury (Hg2+)
• Lead (Pb2+)
• Copper (Cu2+)

Correct Answer: Calcium (Ca2+)

Q5. When optimizing amylase production using statistical experimental design, which approach allows identification of significant factors and their interactions with fewer experiments?

• Response surface methodology (RSM)
• One-factor-at-a-time (OFAT)
• Simplex method
• Trial-and-error screening

Correct Answer: Response surface methodology (RSM)

Q6. Which property measurement is used to quantify enzyme amount based on the rate of substrate conversion under defined conditions and is commonly expressed as units (U)?

• Enzyme activity assay
• Protein concentration by Bradford
• Isoelectric focusing
• SDS-PAGE molecular weight

Correct Answer: Enzyme activity assay

Q7. Immobilization of amylase on carriers is performed primarily to achieve which of the following advantages?

• Enhanced operational stability and enzyme reuse
• Complete elimination of substrate inhibition
• Increase in molecular weight of enzyme
• Conversion of endo-amylase to exo-amylase

Correct Answer: Enhanced operational stability and enzyme reuse

Q8. In downstream processing, which chromatographic method is most suitable for final polishing and high-resolution purification of amylase proteins from a fermentation broth?

• Ion-exchange chromatography
• Simple centrifugation
• Membrane ultrafiltration only
• Acid precipitation without chromatography

Correct Answer: Ion-exchange chromatography

Q9. Which strategy is commonly used in fed-batch fermentation to prevent catabolite repression and maintain high amylase productivity?

• Controlled low-rate feeding of carbon source
• One-time addition of high sugar concentration at inoculation
• Elimination of nitrogen source entirely
• Continuous removal of biomass only

Correct Answer: Controlled low-rate feeding of carbon source

Q10. A recombinant expression system for high-yield amylase production in E. coli often requires which modification to obtain soluble, secreted enzyme?

• Fusion to a signal peptide and use of periplasmic expression
• Expression without any promoter
• Elimination of all cysteine residues
• Growth at elevated pH >11

Correct Answer: Fusion to a signal peptide and use of periplasmic expression

Q11. Which assay principle is commonly used to measure alpha-amylase activity by quantifying reducing sugars released from starch?

• DNS (dinitrosalicylic acid) assay
• ELISA for starch
• Luciferase bioluminescence assay
• Western blot for amylase

Correct Answer: DNS (dinitrosalicylic acid) assay

Q12. What is the main advantage of using thermostable amylases in industrial processes like starch liquefaction?

• They retain activity at high temperature, improving process rates and reducing contamination
• They have lower KM for all substrates compared to mesophilic enzymes
• They are always completely resistant to proteases
• They do not require any cofactors or metal ions

Correct Answer: They retain activity at high temperature, improving process rates and reducing contamination

Q13. During scale-up of amylase fermentation, which bioreactor parameter must be carefully maintained to avoid oxygen limitation and foaming issues?

• Aeration rate and agitation speed
• pH of feedstock only
• Ambient room humidity
• Magnetic stirring of the harvest

Correct Answer: Aeration rate and agitation speed

Q14. Which chemical treatment is commonly used to concentrate and partially purify amylase from crude culture supernatant by precipitating proteins?

• Ammonium sulfate precipitation
• Sodium dodecyl sulfate addition
• Ozonation
• Formaldehyde cross-linking

Correct Answer: Ammonium sulfate precipitation

Q15. In kinetic characterization, a low KM value of an amylase for soluble starch indicates:

• High affinity of the enzyme for the substrate
• Low catalytic turnover number (kcat)
• Enzyme is completely inhibited by substrate
• Unsuitability for industrial use

Correct Answer: High affinity of the enzyme for the substrate

Q16. Which regulatory consideration is particularly important when selecting a microbial strain for producing enzyme preparations intended for pharmaceutical formulations?

• GRAS status and absence of toxin/antibiotic resistance genes
• High pigment production capacity
• Fastest possible growth irrespective of safety
• Ability to survive in extreme solvents

Correct Answer: GRAS status and absence of toxin/antibiotic resistance genes

Q17. Which analytical technique provides information about the molecular weight distribution of crude amylase preparations and potential proteolytic degradation products?

• SDS-PAGE electrophoresis
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
• UV-Vis absorbance at 260 nm
• Atomic absorption spectroscopy

Correct Answer: SDS-PAGE electrophoresis

Q18. Which of the following is a common reason for adding calcium salts during amylase formulation and storage?

• To stabilize the enzyme’s tertiary structure and prevent thermal inactivation
• To lower the enzyme’s pI drastically
• To precipitate the enzyme out of solution permanently
• To enhance proteolytic cleavage

Correct Answer: To stabilize the enzyme’s tertiary structure and prevent thermal inactivation

Q19. In solid-state fermentation for fungal amylase production, what critical parameter must be monitored to ensure adequate microbial growth and enzyme synthesis?

• Moisture content of the substrate
• Electrical conductivity of the solid matrix
• Visible light intensity
• Nitrogen gas sparging rate

Correct Answer: Moisture content of the substrate

Q20. Which genetic engineering approach is used to enhance amylase secretion and reduce proteolytic degradation in microbial hosts?

• Co-expression of molecular chaperones and protease knockouts
• Deletion of signal peptide sequences to trap enzyme intracellularly
• Overexpression of host proteases
• Insertion of random repeats into coding sequence

Correct Answer: Co-expression of molecular chaperones and protease knockouts

Download