Available online www.jocpr.com Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 2012, 4(7):3383-3386 Research Article ISSN : 0975-7384 CODEN(USA) : JCPRC5 3383 Coconut oil cake -A novel substrate of solid state fermentation for the production of α -amylase using Streptomyces spp. N.Uma Maheswari * and S. Soundariya PG and Research Department of Microbiology, Sengamala Thayaar Educational Trust Women ’s College, Mannargudi, Thiruvarur, Tamilnadu, India _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT In this present study Streptomyces was isolated from the Mangroves soil and identified by gram staining, biochemical tests and microscope observation. The optimum growth condition for the isolated organisms for the α- amylase production were such as pH, temperature, substrate concentration. On the production α- amylase using the isolated organisms the four different substrate such as under varying condition of coconut oil cake, groundnut oil cake, wheat bran, rice bran,were assessed coconut oil cake was produced the maximum amount of α-amylase in, pH4(18.5±0.02) temperature25 0 C(8.5±0.02)substrate concentration 15g (12.5±0.02).Thus from the above study, it is concluded that coconut oil cake produces higher amount of α- amylase compared to groundnut oil cake, wheat bran, ricebran. Thin layer chromatographic the end products librated by to action of α-amylase to separate the glucose and maltose by using thin layer chromatographic. Keywords: α-Amylase, Streptomyces, Coconut oil cake, Groundnut oil cake,Wheat bran, Rice bran . _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Enzymes are ubiquitous components of all types of living cells, be it plants, animals or microbial growth. Enzynes are physiologically necessary for living organism. They are single chain or multiple chain protein and act as biocatalyst with the ability to promote specific chemical reaction under mild condition in most living organisms [1]. Recent development in biotechnology, particular an areas such as protein engineering and directed evolution have provided important tools for the efficient development of new enzymes. Enzymes found in nature have been used since ancient times in the production of food product, such as cheese, beer, wine and vinegar and in the manufacturing of commodes such as leather, indigo and liner [2].α- Amylase are enzyme, which hydrolyzes starch molecules given divers products including dextrin and progreesively smaller polymers composed of glucose units [3].The α- Amylase is a starch hydrolyzing enzymes which has many applications in various fields. It is used is breueries pharamaceuticals, chocolate industries etc.[4] α-Amylase can be divided into two categories catalyze hydrolysis in a random manner in the interior of the starch molecule producing liner and branched oligosaccharides of various chain lengths. Exomamylases act from the non- reducing and successively resilting in short end production [5].A variety of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and have been reported to produces amylolytic enzymes. α – Amylases are used in a variety of industrial processes which require efficient of raw starch [6]. Actinomycetes however there have been few reports about the control of extracellular alpha amylase production by with respect to the suggested mechanism of α- amylase synthesis [7].