Immobilization of a photosystem ii submembrane fraction in a glutaraldehyde cross-linked matrix

A wide range of immobilization procedures have been shown to stabilize the functions of photosynthetic materials. The purpose of this work was to determine if the above procedures can be applied to submembrane fractions. Triton X-100-derived photosystem II submembrane fractions isolated from spinach were immobilized in a glutaraldehyde cross-linked albumin matrix. The optimal conditions were obtained in presence of 1 mM NaCl and 5 mM MgCl₂. The treated membranes were less affected by long-term storage at 4°C, high pH and temperature, and strong light exposure. The results are discussed in terms of a diffusion barrier resulting from the immobilization matrix.     

Immobilization and Kinetics of Catalase on Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles Attached Epoxy Support

A novel hybrid epoxy/nano CaCO₃ composite matrix for catalase immobilization was prepared by polymerizing epoxy resin in the presence of CaCO₃ nanoparticles. The hybrid support was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Catalase was successfully immobilized onto epoxy/nano CaCO₃ support with a conjugation yield of 0.67?±?0.01 mg/cm² and 92.63?±?0.80 % retention of activity. Optimum pH and optimum temperature of free and immobilized catalases were found to be 7.0 and 35 °C. The value of K _m for H₂O₂ was higher for immobilized enzyme (31.42 mM) than native enzyme (27.73 mM). A decrease in V _max value from 1,500 to 421.10 μmol (min mg protein)^?1 was observed after immobilization. Thermal and storage stabilities of catalase improved immensely after immobilization. Immobilized enzyme retained three times than the activity of free enzyme when kept at 75 °C for 1 h and the half-life of enzyme increased five times when stored in phosphate buffer (0.01 M, pH 7.0) at 5 °C. The enzyme could be reused 30 times without any significant loss of its initial activity. Desorption of catalase from the hybrid support was minimum at pH 7.0.     

Kinetic studies of lipase from Candida rugosa

The search for an in expensive support has motivated our group to undertake this work dealing with the use of chitosan as matrix for immobilizing lipase. In addition to its low cost, chitosan has several advantages for use as a support, including its lack of toxicity and chemical reactivity, allowing easy fixation of enzymes. In this article, we describe the immobilization of Canada rugosa lipase onto porous chitosan beads for the enzymatic hydrolysis of oliveoil. The binding of the lipase onto the support was performed by physicalad sorption using hexane as the dispersion medium. A comparativestudy between free and immobilized lipase was conducted in terms of pH, temperature, and thermal stability. A slightly lower value for optimum pH (6.0) was found for the immobilized form in comparison with that attained for the soluble lipase (7.0). The optimum reaction temperature shifted from 37°C for the free lipase to 50°C for the chitosan lipase. The patterns of heat stability indicated that the immobilization process tends to stabilize the enzyme. The half-life of the soluble free lipase at 55°C was equal to 0.71 h (K _d=0.98 h⁻¹), whereas for the immobilized lipase it was 1.10 h (K _d=0.63 h⁻¹). Kinetics was tested at 37°C following the hydrolysis of olive oil and obeys the Michaelis-Menten type of rate equation. The K _m was 0.15 mM and the V _max was 51 μmol/(min·mg), which were lower than for free lipase, suggesting that the apparent affinity toward the substrate changes and that the activity of the immobilized lipase decreases during the course of immobilization.     

Efficient Immobilization of Porcine Pancreatic α-Amylase on Amino-Functionalized Magnetite Nanoparticles: Characterization and Stability Evaluation of the Immobilized Enzyme

The potential of the modified magnetic nanoparticles for covalent immobilization of porcine pancreatic α-amylase has been investigated. The synthesis and immobilization processes were simple and fast. The co-precipitation method was used for synthesis of magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) which were subsequently coated with silica through sol–gel reaction. The amino-functionalized NPs were prepared by treating silica-coated NPs with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane followed by covalent immobilization of α-amylase by glutaraldehyde. The optimum enzyme concentration and incubation time for immobilization reaction were 150 mg and 4 h, respectively. Upon this immobilization, the α-amylase retained more than 50 % of its initial specific activity. The optimum pH for maximal catalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme was 6.5 at 45 °C. The kinetic studies on the immobilized enzyme and its free counterpart revealed an acceptable change of K_m and V_max. The Km values were found as 4 and 2.5 mM for free and immobilized enzymes, respectively. The V_max values for the free and immobilized enzymes were calculated as 1.75 and 1.03 μmol mg^?1 min^?1, in order, when starch was used as the substrate. A quick separation of immobilized amylase from reaction mixture was achieved when a magnetically active support was applied. In comparison to the free enzyme, the immobilized enzyme was thermally stable and was reusable for 9 cycles while retaining 68 % of its initial activity.     

Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose-silver nanoparticle (AgNp)-silica hybrid for amylase immobilization

Carboxymethyl cellulose-silver nanoparticle (AgNp)-silica hybrids have been synthesized in a modified Stöber process. The hybrid synthesis was optimized to obtain an efficient immobilization matrix for diastase alpha amylase, a multimeric enzyme of high technological significance. The synthesized hybrids were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA and BET studies. The enzyme immobilization was done by adsorption and using the immobilized enzyme, the hydrolysis of soluble starch has been optimized in comparison to free enzyme. The optimum usable pH for the immobilized enzyme ranged from pH 4 to 5, while pH 5 was optimum pH for the free enzyme activity. The kinetic parameters for the immobilized, (K _M = 3.4610 mg ml^?1; V _max = 6.3540 mg ml^?1 min^?1) and free enzyme (K _M = 4.1664 mg ml^?1; V _max = 4.291 mg ml^?1 min^?1) hydrolysis indicated that the immobilization at the nanohybrid has significantly improved the catalytic property of the enzyme. In the immobilized state, the enzyme remained usable for many repeated cycles like our previous material, gum acacia-gelatin-AgNp-silica. Storage experiments indicated that the immobilization has increased the stability of the enzyme and also that AgNps play a role in stabilizing the immobilized enzyme.     

A New Enzyme Immobilization Technique Based on Thionine‐Bovine Serum Albumin Conjugate and Gold Colloidal Nanoparticles for Reagentless Amperometric Biosensor Applications

A novel enzyme immobilization technique based on thionine‐bovine serum albumin conjugate (Th‐BSA) and gold colloidal nanoparticles (nano‐Au) was developed. Thionine was covalently bound onto the BSA film with glutaraldehyde(GA) as cross‐linker to achieve Th‐BSA conjugate. The free amino groups of thionine were then used to attach nano‐Au for the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Such nano‐Au/Th‐BSA matrix shows a favorable microenvironment for retaining the native activity of the immobilized HRP and thionine immobilized in this way can effectively shuttle electrons between the electrode and the enzyme. The proposed biosensor displays excellent catalytic activity and rapid response for H₂O₂. The linear range for the determination of H₂O₂ is from 4.9×10^?7 to 1.6×10^?3 M with a detection limit of 2.1×10^?7 M at 3σ and a Michaelies‐Menten constant K value of 0.023 mM.     

A search of an optimal carrier for immobilization of chitin deacetylase

Chitin deacetylase is an enzyme that can play an important role in enzymatic deacetylation of chitosan to obtain polymers with a lower degree of acetylation. As this enzyme has never been immobilized up to now, efforts were directed towards determining both the most suitable carrier and the best method of covalent attachment to the selected carrier. In the preliminary experiments several different carriers were tested that were based on acrylic, silica-gel, agarose, dextran or cellulose materials. The best results were obtained for cellulose-based Granocel matrix. DEAE- and NH₂-Granocel activated with divinyl sulfone or glutaraldehyde were chosen for optimization of the immobilization procedure and the carrier’s superstructure. It was found that covalent binding of chitin deacetylase on DEAE-Granocel-2000 via divinyl sulfone offers preparations with the highest activity and stability. The characteristics of the selected preparation and comparison with the native enzyme show that optimal conditions are close to those for the free enzyme: the optimal pH is 4.0 for both enzymes and the optimal temperatures are 55 °C and 50 °C for native and immobilized forms, respectively. The kinetics of chitosan deacetylation for both enzymes follow the Michaelis–Menten relationship, but significant differences in the values of the equation parameters were observed.     

Biomimetic Mineralization of the Alginate/Gelatin/Calcium Oxalate Matrix for Immobilization of Pectinase: Influence of Matrix on the Pectinolytic Activity

Pectinases catalyze the degradation of pectic substances and are used in several processes, mainly in food and textile industries. In this study, a biomimetic matrix of alginate/gelatin/calcium oxalate (AGOCa) was synthesized for the in situ immobilization via encapsulation of crude pectinase from Aspergillus niger ATCC 9642, obtaining an immobilization efficiency of about 61.7 %. To determine the performance of AGOCa matrix, this was compared to control matrices of alginate/calcium oxalate (AOxal) and alginate/water (ACa). By the evaluation of pH and temperature effects on the enzyme activity, it was observed an increase on pectinolytic activity for both three tested matrices with an increase on pH and temperature. The kinetic parameters for pectinase immobilized in the three matrices were determined using citric pectin as substrate. Values of K _m of 0.003, 0.0013, and 0.0022 g mL^?1 and V _max of 3.85, 4.32, and 3.17 μmol min^?1 g^?1 for AGOCa, AOxal, and ACa matrices were obtained, respectively. After 33 days of storage, the pectinase immobilized in the three different matrices kept its initial activity, but that immobilized in AGOCa presented high stability to the storage with a relative activity of about 160 %. The enzyme immobilized in AGOCa, AOxal, and ACa could be used in 10, 8, and 7 cycles, respectively, keeping 40 % of its initial activity.     

Man-tailored cellulose-based carriers for invertase immobilization

Cellulose-based carriers Granocel were specially prepared and optimised for covalent immobilization of enzymes. The effects of carrier characteristics such as pore size, chemistry of anchor groups and their density on invertase immobilization efficiency were evaluated. It was found that the preferential adsorption/binding of the enzyme to a carrier during coupling and its activity after immobilization depended on microenvironmental effects created by hydrophilic surface of the carrier, functional groups and their activators. The best preparations (activity approx. 300 U/mL, high storage stability) were obtained for NH₂-Granocel activated with glutaraldehyde. It is probably due to Granocel modification with pentaethylenehexamine that gave a 19-atom spacer arm. The enzyme concentration in coupling mixture was optimised as well. The kinetic parameters of sucrose hydrolysis for native and immobilized invertase were evaluated. Compared to the native invertase, K _m value of immobilized enzyme was only twice higher with about three times lower substrate inhibition. Reaction runs in a well mixed batch reactors with native and immobilized invertase showed slightly slower reaction rate in the case of the enzyme covalently bound to Granocel. Very good stability of cellulose-based carrier was proved experimentally by 20 successive reaction runs in a batch reactor.     

Immobilization of Xylanase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus pumilus</Emphasis> Strain MK001 and its Application in Production of Xylo-oligosaccharides

Xylanase from Bacillus pumilus strain MK001 was immobilized on different matrices following varied immobilization methods. Entrapment using gelatin (GE) (40.0%), physical adsorption on chitin (CH) (35.0%), ionic binding with Q-sepharose (Q-S) (45.0%), and covalent binding with HP-20 beads (42.0%) showed the maximum xylanase immobilization efficiency. The optimum pH of immobilized xylanase shifted up to 1.0 unit (pH 7.0) as compared to free enzyme (pH 6.0). The immobilized xylanase exhibited higher pH stability (up to 28.0%) in the alkaline pH range (7.0–10.0) as compared to free enzyme. Optimum temperature of immobilized xylanase was observed to be 8 °C higher (68.0 °C) than free enzyme (60.0 °C). The free xylanase retained 50.0% activity, whereas xylanase immobilized on HP-20, Q-S, CH, and GE retained 68.0, 64.0, 58.0, and 57.0% residual activity, respectively, after 3 h of incubation at 80.0 °C. The immobilized xylanase registered marginal increase and decrease in K _m and V _max values, respectively, as compared to free enzyme. The immobilized xylanase retained up to 70.0% of its initial hydrolysis activity after seven enzyme reaction cycles. The immobilized xylanase was found to produce higher levels of high-quality xylo-oligosaccharides from birchwood xylan, indicating its potential in the nutraceutical industry.     

Immobilization of the β-galactosidase fromAspergillus niger on chitosan

Crude or purifiedAspergillus niger β-galactosidase preparations were immobilized on chitosan (deacetylated chitin, activated with glutaraldehyde). The most active immobilized systems were obtained withcrude enzyme preparations. The immobilized enzyme hydrolyzed lactose in pure lactose solutions, ultrafiltrate whey permeates, or acid wheys at similar rates. The pH activity profiles and K_m values of the chitosan-bound enzyme were not significantly altered on immobilization, and its stability on repetitive use up to 60°C was increased by reduction with NaBH₄. After 8 weeks on discontinuous operation (8 h use per day), β-galactosidase-chitosan columns were found to retain about 90, 50, or 60% of their initial activities with lactose, ultrafiltrate permeate, or acid whey solutions, respectively. The efficiency of the β-galactosidase-chitosan conjugate appears to be comparable or greater than those of other described systems, and its stability should allow its use on an industrial scale. A preliminary report of this work has already been presented at the 4th International Enzyme Engineering Conference (September 25-30, 1977, Bad Neuenahr, FRG).     

Studies of Penicillin G Acylase Immobilization Using Highly Porous Cellulose-Based Polymeric Membrane

The different ionic molecules/compounds were used as a ligand for the immobilization of penicillin G acylase on the highly porous cellulose-based polymeric membrane having buffer flux 1,746 LMH (L m⁻² h⁻¹) at 0.5 bar pressure. The immobilized enzyme activity around 250 U_App was obtained with the ligand such as proline, tryptophan, casein acid hydrolysate, and brilliant green. Comparatively, proline showed less IMY% (percentage immobilization yield—58) but higher RTA% (percentage of activity retention—71) and specific activity (145 U_App g⁻¹). However, the crosslinked preparation of brilliant green obtained using glutaraldehyde showed 82 ± 2.7% immobilized enzyme activity after the completion of successive five cycles. In comparison with the free enzyme, the enzyme immobilized on the brilliant green coupled membrane showed around 2.4-fold increase in K _m value (47.4 mM) as well as similar optimum pH (7.2) and temperature (40 °C). The immobilized enzyme retained almost 50% activity after 107 days and 50 cycles of operation. Almost 50% decrease in buffer flux after enzyme immobilization was observed. At the end of the 30 cycles, flux pattern shows around 38% decrease in buffer flux however, after 16 cycles of operation flux moves closer towards the steady state.     

Immobilization of Naringinase in PVA–Alginate Matrix Using an Innovative Technique

A synthetic polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a cheap and nontoxic synthetic polymer to organism, has been ascribed for biocatalyst immobilization. In this work PVA–alginate beads were developed with thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability to high temperatures (<80 °C). The combination of alginate and bead treatment with sodium sulfate not only prevented agglomeration but produced beads of high gel strength and conferred enzyme protection from inactivation by boric acid. Naringinase from Penicillium decumbens was immobilized in PVA (10%)–alginate beads with three different sizes (1–3 mm), at three different alginate concentrations (0.2–1.0%), and these features were investigated in terms of swelling ratio within the beads, enzyme activity, and immobilization yield during hydrolysis of naringin. The pH and temperature optimum were 4.0 and 70 °C for the PVA–alginate-immobilized naringinase. The highest naringinase activity yield in PVA (10%)–alginate (1%) beads of 2 mm was 80%, at pH 4.0 and 70 °C. The Michaelis constant (K _Mapp) and the maximum reaction velocity (V _maxapp) were evaluated for both free (K _Mapp = 0.233 mM; V _maxapp = 0.13 mM min⁻¹) and immobilized naringinase (K _Mapp = 0.349 mM; V _maxapp = 0.08 mM min⁻¹). The residual activity of the immobilized enzyme was followed in eight consecutive batch runs with a retention activity of 70%. After 6 weeks, upon storage in acetate buffer pH 4 at 4 °C, the immobilized biocatalyst retained 90% of the initial activity. These promising results are illustrative of the potential of this immobilization strategy for the system evaluated and suggest that its application may be effectively performed for the entrapment of other biocatalysts.     

Immobilization of Phenylalanine Dehydrogenase and Its Application in Flow-Injection Analysis System for Determination of Plasma Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine dehydrogenase (l-PheDH) from Sporosarcina ureae was immobilized on DEAE-cellulose, modified initially with 2-amino-4,6-dichloro-s-triazine followed by hexamethylenediamine and glutaraldehyde. The highest activity of immobilized PheDH was determined as 95.75 U/g support with 56% retained activity. The optimum pH value of immobilized l-PheDH was shifted from pH 10.4 to 11.0. The immobilized l-PheDH showed activity variations close to the maximum value in a wider temperature range of 45–55 °C, whereas it was 40 °C for the native enzyme. The pH and the thermal stability of the immobilized l-PheDH were also better than the native enzyme. At pH 10.4 and 25 °C, K _m values of the native and the immobilized l-PheDH were determined as K _{m Phe} = 0.118, 0.063 mM and K _{m NAD}⁺ = 0.234, 0.128 mM, respectively. Formed NADH at the exit of packed bed reactor column was detected by the flow-injection analysis system. The conversion efficiency of the reactor was found to be 100% in the range of 5–600 μM Phe at 9 mM NAD⁺ with a total flow rate of 0.1 mL/min. The reactor was used for the analyses of 30 samples each for 3 h per day. The half-life period of the reactor was 15 days.     

Immobilized catalase on CoFoam hydrophilic polyurethane composite

Catalase from bovine liver was covalently immobilized on hydrophilic polyurethane composite (CoFoam). The activity of the enzyme was assayed in the decomposition of H₂O₂ at pH 7.0 and 25°C. The effects of water-to-prepolymer ration the addition of a crosslinking agent, and the utilization of a spacer on enzyme, activity were examined. The results of immobilization of the enzyme in a large-scale unit are reported. The advantage of the CoFoam composite lies in the low drop in pressure in a packed-bed reactor at fairly large flow rates. For example, at flow rates of 10–12 L/min, the drop in pressure is typically 3 kPa. Enzymes immobilized on CoFoam represent a novel use as catalysts in packed-bed reactors owing to the low drop in pressure.     

ENERGY DISSIPATION AND PHOTOPROTECTION MECHANISMS DURING CHLOROPHYLL PHOTOBLEACHING IN THYLAKOID MEMBRANES

The kinetics of chlorophyll photobleaching were followed in whole thylakoid membranes as well as in photosystem I and photosystem II submembrane fractions. The onset of photobleaching was characterized by a slow rate which indicated the presence of energy traps implicated in the photoprotection of the bulk pigments. The pigments in photosystem I submembrane fractions bleached at a faster rate than those in photosystem II counterparts, the latter being more sensitive towards photoinhibition. An analysis of the pigment-protein complexes isolated from whole thylakoid membranes during the course of a photobleaching experiment has shown that the core-antenna complexes, including CP29, are more sensitive to illumination than the peripheral complexes. The absorption spectra of the CPI and CP29 complexes presented a blue shift of the red absorption maximum after partial photobleaching, indicative of a non-homogeneous bleaching of the holochromes in these complexes. An analysis of these data points towards the involvement of CP29 in a photoprotection mechanism at the level of photosystem II. The weaker resistance of photosystem I to photobleaching relative to photosystem II and its stronger resistance to photoinhibition is discussed in terms of an energy dissipation pathway in thylakoid membranes.     

Properties of pectinesterase and endo-d-polygalacturonase coimmobilized in a porous glass support

Derivatives of pectinesterase and polygalacturonase, both individually immobilized and coimmobilized, were obtained and characterized. Homologous soluble systems were also studied to establish differences between the effect of the immobilization process and the presence of the other enzyme. Immobilization or coimmobilization did not change the optima pH or temperature for the enzymes. However, optimum ionic strength was displaced toward higher values for immobilized pectinesterase, while for polygalacturonase immobilization resulted in a wider range for activity.K _m value remained nearly unchanged for pectinesterase, and decreased for polygalacturonase. TheV _m value decreased with the immobilization process for the two enzymes, except for polygalacturonase immobilization in presence of pectinesterase. Soluble pectinesterase activity showed a competitive inhibition by polygalacturonic acid (K_i = 0.44 mg/mL). Either immobilization or presence of polygalacturonase rendered the enzyme insensitive to the inhibitory effect. Thermal stability of pectinesterase was not improved after immobilization. On the contrary, the thermal stability of endo-D-polygalacturonase was improved slightly by presence of pectinesterase, and in a greater extent by immobilization. Individually immobilized and coimmobilized pectinesterase activities kept 90 and 60%, respectively, of their initial values after more than one year stored at 3-5 °C. The two endo-D-polygalacturonase derivatives showed the same activity decay pattern along 10 mo storage at 3-5 °C. The two immobilized pectinesterase derivatives showed similar operational stabilities during continuous operation. The presence of pectinesterase remarkably increased the operational stability of the immobilized endo-D-poly galacturonase.     

Inulin Hydrolysis by Immobilized Inulinase on Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles Using Soy Protein Isolate and Bovine Serum Albumin

Inulin hydrolysis was performed by inulinase from Aspergillus niger covalently immobilized on magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) covered with soy protein isolate (Fe₃O₄/SPI) functionalized by bovine serum albumin (Fe₃O₄/SPI/BSA) nanoparticles as a new bio‐functional carrier. The specific activity and protein content of the immobilized enzyme were 25.99 U/mg and 3.52 mg/mL, respectively, with 80% enzyme loading. The immobilized inulinase showed maximum activity at 45 °C, which is 5 °C higher than the optimum temperature of the free enzyme. Also, the optimum pH of the immobilized enzyme shifted from 6 to 5.5, which is more acidic compared to that of the free enzyme. The K_m value of immobilized inulinase decreased to 2.03 mg/mL. Thermal stability increased considerably at 65 and 75 °C, and a 5.13‐fold rise was detected in the enzyme half‐life at 75 °C after immobilization. Moreover, 80% of initial activity of immobilized inulinase remained after 10 cycles of hydrolysis.     

Immobilization ofAspergillus niger NRC 107 xylanase and β-xylosidase,and properties of the immobilized enzymes

Aspergillus niger NRC 107 xylanase and β-xylosidase were immobilized on various carriers by different methods of immobilization, including physical adsorption, covalant binding, ionic binding, and entrapment. The immobilized enzymes were prepared by physical adsorption on tannin-chitosan, ionic binding onto Dowex-50W, covalent binding on chitosan beads through glutaraldehyde, and entrapment in polyacrylamide had the highest activities. In most cases, the optimum pH of the immobilized enzymes were shifted to lower than those of free enzymes. The optimum reaction temperature of immobilized xylanase was shifted from 50°C to 52.5–65°C, whereas that of immobilized β-xylosidase was shifted from 45°C to 50–60°C. TheK _m values of immobilized enzymes were higher than those of native enzymes. The operational stability of the immobilized enzymes was evaluated in continuous operation in packed-bead column-type reactors. The enzymes covalently bounded to chitosan showed the highest operational stability. However, the enzymes immobilized by physical adsorption or by ionic binding showed a low operational stability. The enzymes entrapped in polyacrylamide exhibited lower activity, but better operational stability.     

Immobilization of single-strand specific nuclease (S1 nuclease) fromAspergillus oryzae

S1 nuclease fromAspergillus oryzae (EC 3.1.30.1) was coupled to gelatin-alginate composite matrix using the residual free aldehyde groups on the surface of glutaraldehyde crosslinked matrix. The immobilized enzyme retained approximately 10% activity of the soluble enzyme. When partially purified enzyme was bound to the matrix, the immobilized preparation did not show any detectable enzyme activity. However, the activity could be restored when the coupling was carried out in the presence of a coprotein or substrate. The optimum pH of the immobilized S1 nuclease shifted to 3.8 from 4.3 for the soluble enzyme. Also, optimum temperature increased to 65°C after immobilization. Bound S1 nuclease showed increased pH and temperature stabilities. Immobilization brought about a twofold decrease in the Michaelis-Menton constant (K _m).