Enzyme Immobilization

An immobilized enzyme is a type of enzyme which is coupled with inert and insoluble materials such as calcium alginate. Calcium alginate is a product of sodium alginate mixture and calcium chloride solution.  The immobilized enzyme shall offer more resistance to conditionals changes such as in terms of pH and temperature of a solution. The immobilized enzyme can be held in a position to be continued throughout the enzymatic reaction. The immobilized enzyme can be isolated from the mixture of product formed and can be reused again from another reaction. The immobilized enzyme shall be utilized in the production of enzyme and enzyme catalyzed chemical reactions. The available alternative for enzyme immobilization technique is whole cell immobilization.

Enzyme Immobilization uses

The immobilized enzyme can be widely used commercially in a profitable way.

• Convenience of usage: Small amount of protein shall dissolve in a chemical reaction. The end of chemical reaction includes solvents and other related products.
• Economical benefit: The immobilized enzyme can be easily removed from the enzymatic reaction and it is used in recycling process of biocatalyst production.
• Stability of immobilized enzyme: The thermal stability and operation stability of an immobilized enzyme is generally high when compared to solubility of the enzyme in a solution.

Method of immobilizing Enzyme

Following are three ways by which immobilized enzyme can be produced.

• Adsorption on glass particles, matrix or alginate beads: The enzyme is coupled with inert side of material.  The adsorption of enzyme is not chemical reaction. The immobilized enzyme active sites can be easily blocked with the help of bead or matrix. It greatly reduces the activity of an enzyme.
• Enzyme entrapment: The enzymes are entrapped in microspheres or beads like calcium alginate beads that are insoluble in nature.
• Cross linkage: Enzyme covalently couples with matrix. Steric hindrance shall be reduced by using spacer molecule like ethylene glycol.

Questions:

• What is enzyme immobilization?
• How immobilized enzymes are produced?
• What are advantages of immobilized enzymes?