Feasibility Assessment of a Pressure Sensor-Based Detection of a-Amylase Activity

A primary factor governing the economic value of wheat to a grower is the amount of alpha-amylase present in the harvested wheat, since excessive alpha-amylase in processed grain degrades starch and flour quality. Levels of alpha-amylase depend on a variety of environmental and genetic factors. Pre-harvest sprouting occurs when nearly-ripe grain is exposed to excessive rainfall, which stimulates alpha-amylase synthesis. Wheat that has an elevated level of alpha-amylase results in a wet and sticky texture to bread and other flour-based products, thereby failing commercial standards for product quality. Elevated levels of amylase present in wheat result in recurring economic losses for farmers. Methods used to assess the level of amylase in wheat are only appropriate for use in fixed-laboratory settings due to technical complexity and required equipment. DISAN, Inc. has developed a biosensor apparatus that would appear to be suitable for the detection of alpha-amylase activity in wheat, an enzyme directly related to the soundness of wheat. The assay will use a commercially available ultra-low pressure sensor to detect minute changes in the level of gas within a sealed chamber. Detection of consumed oxygen as a result of a cascade of enzymatic activities, starting with alpha-amylase acting on starch, would be used to indicate the activity of alpha-amylase present in a sample. DISAN will determine the feasibility of using a manometric quantification of alpha-amylase activity in order to replace more cumbersome testing methods (i.e., the falling number method).