Preparation and characterization of lipase immobilized on reversibly soluble-insoluble N-(2-carboxylbenzoyl) chitosan

N-(2-carboxylbenzoyl) chitosan (CBC), a reversibly soluble-insoluble polymer with pH change, was prepared by modifying chitosan backbone with phthalic anhydride and employed as carrier for lipase immobilization. The obtained CBC exhibited reversible solubility in aqueous solution; it was soluble at pH above 3.8 and precipitated at pH below 3.4. The porcine pancreatic lipase was covalently immobilized on CBC with glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. Under the optimal immobilization condition, the retention activity of the immobilized lipase was found to be 69.8 %. The maximum activity of lipase immobilized on CBC was observed at 40 °C, pH 8.0, while the free lipase presented maximum activity at 37 °C, pH 7.5. The lipase immobilized on CBC exhibited improved thermal and storage stabilities and retained 58.7 % of its initial activity after 9 times of repeated use.