Study of biocatalyst to produce ethanol from starch

This article presents a detailed study on the conditions for achieving a stable biocatalyst to be used in the production of ethanol from starch. Different pellets were used depending on which characteristic of the biocatalyst was being studied: (a) Saccharomyces cerevisiae entrapped in pectin or calcium alginate gel particles; (b) silica containing immobilized glucoamylase entrapped in pectin gel particles; or (c) pectin gel particles, with the silicaenzyme derivative and yeast coimmobilized. The influence of several variables on the mechanical resistance of the particle, on the viability of the microorganism, and on the rate of substrate hydrolysis was studied with biocatalyst. The best conditions found were 6% pectin gel, 2-mm particle diameter, and curein 0.2 M CaCl₂·2H₂O/60 mM acetate buffer, pH 4.2, for gel preparation; and 6.0 g/L of CaCl₂·2H₂O in the fermentation medium. Biocatalyst (c) was successfully tested for the production of ethanol from liquefield manioc flour syrup.     

Ethanol production in immobilized-cell bioreactors from mixed sugar syrups and enzymatic hydrolysates of steam-exploded biomass

We investigated ethanol production from mixed sugar syrups. Hydrolysates were prepared from enzymatic saccharification of steam-pretreated aspen chips. Syrups containing 45 g/L of glucose and 12 g/L of xylose were detoxified through two ion-exchange resins and then fermented with Pichia stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilized in Ca-alginate gel beads. Combinations of different gel fractions in the fermentation volume, amount of yeast cells, and ratios of P. stipitis vs S. cerevisiae within each bead were compared. In the best conditions, by using a total beads volume corresponding to 25% of the working volume, we obtained a yield of 0.39 g_ethanol/g_{initial sugars}. This amount of gel entrapped an initial cell concentration of 6×10¹²cells/L with ratio of S. cerevisiae/P. stipitis of 0.25 g/g. Modified stirredtank reactors were obtained either by adding marbles or by inserting a perforated metal cylinder, which reduced considerably the rupture of beads while visibly improving oxygenation of the medium.     

Recycling of NAD+ using coimmobilized alcohol dehydrogenase andE. coli

The use of immobilized enzymes has opened the possibility of large scale utilization of NAD⁺-linked dehydrogenases, but the applications of this technique were limited by the necessity of providing the large amounts of NAD⁺ required by its stoichiometric consumption in the reaction. After immobilization of alcohol dehydrogenase and intactE. coli by glutaraldehyde in the presence of serum albumin, the respiratory chain was found to be capable of regenerating NAD⁺ from NADH. This NAD⁺ can be recycled at least 100 times, and thus the method is far more effective than any other, and, moreover, does not require NADH oxydase purification. The total NADH oxidase activity recovered was 10–30% of the initial activity. Although, NADH is unable to cross the cytoplasmic membrane, it was able to reach the active site of NADH dehydrogenase after immobilization. The best yield of NADH oxidase activity with immobilized bacteria was obtained without prior treatment of the bacteria to render them more permeable. The denaturation by heat of NADH oxidase in cells that are permeabilized was similar before and after immobilization. In contrast, the heat denaturation of soluble Β-galactosidase required either a higher temperature or a longer exposure after immobilization. The sensitivity of immobilized NADH oxidase to denaturation by methanol was decreased compared to permeabilized cells. As a result, it is clear that the system can function in the presence of methanol, which is necessary as a solvent for certain water insoluble substrates.     

One-step conversion of cellulose to fructose using coimmobilized cellulase, β-glucosidase,and glucose isomerase

Glucose isomerase was immobilized by itself and coimmobilized with cellulase and β-glucosidase using a polyurethane foam (Hypol® FHP 2002). Approximately 50% of the enzyme added was immobilized. The immobilized enzyme was active at pH values as low as 6.8. When immobilized alone, the K_m for Mg²⁺ increased by 5.5fold and the K_m for fructose increased 62%. The half-life of the immobilized glucose isomerase was approximately 160 h of continuous hydrolysis, with a substantial (about 35–40%) amount of activity remaining even after 1000 h. When all three enzymes were immobilized together, the system was found capable of functioning at pH 7.0 to produce fructose from both soluble and insoluble cellulose substrates. At this pH, the glucose:fructose ratio was 70:30. The advantageous properties of the foam as a support for enzyme immobilization and the efficiency of the one-step conversion process outlined combine to make this system appear valuable for use in high fructose syrup production.     

Calcium alginate gel as encapsulation matrix for coimmobilized enzyme systems

Encapsulation within calcium alginate gel capsules was used to produce acoimmobilized enzyme system. Glucose oxidase (GOD) and catalase (CAT) were chosen as model enzymes. The same values of V _max and K _mapp for the GOD encapsulated system and for the GOD-CAT coencapsulated system were calculated. When gel beads and capsules were compared, the same catalyst deactivation sequence for the two enzymes was observed. However, when capsules were employed as immobilization support, GOD efficiencies were higher than for the gel beads. These results were explained in terms of the structure of the capsules.     

Signal amplification by substrate recycling on polyaniline/lactate oxidase/lactate dehydrogenase bienzyme electrodes

The bienzyme electrodes were fabricated by coimmobilization of lactate oxidase (LOD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) onto electrochemically prepared polyaniline (PANI) films. These PANI/LOD/LDH bienzyme electrodes were shown to provide signal amplification by substrate recycling, making it possible to detect l-lactate at lower concentrations (0.1-1 mM). The PANI/LOD/LDH bienzyme electrodes were found to be stable for about 21 d at 4–10°C.