Method for producing an amide

A method for producing a microorganism with an increased NHase/amidase activity ratio, comprising:

• drying a microorganism producing a NHase and an amidase, and contacting a nitrile compound with the microorganism after the step of drying,
• wherein the microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Rhodococcus pyridinovorans, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus equi, Rhodococcus ruber, and Rhodococcus opacus,
• and the drying is conducted by spray drying, freeze-drying, heat drying, air drying, vacuum drying, fluidized-bed drying, spray granulation, or a combination thereof.

A composition comprising acrylamide or polyacrylamide and a microorganism producing a NHase and an amidase that has been pre-treated by drying, wherein the microorganism exhibits a NHase/amidase activity ratio of at least 400, and/or wherein a ratio of a NHase activity to an amidase activity is increased by a factor of at least 1.7, when compared to a reference microorganism, which is the same microorganism but has not been pretreated by drying, wherein the microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Rhodococcus pyridinovorans, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus equi, Rhodococcus ruber, and Rhodococcus opacus, and wherein the drying has been conducted by spray drying, freeze-drying, heat drying, air drying, vacuum drying, fluidized-bed drying, spray granulation, or a combination thereof.