Penicillin acylase (PA) is an industrial enzyme used for hydrolysis of penicillin to -lactam nucleus 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) using for manufacturing semi-synthetic penicillins. Microbial enzyme transformation processes are generally preferred over the conventional chemical conversion process. Bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli are widely used for industrial production of 6-APA. The study provides a comprehensive resource for i) screening/characterization of PA producing E. coli strains from different habitats, ii) optimization of conditions for PA production and iii)...