Industrial application of enzyme

and Enzyme immobilization

Techniques
 Immobilized enzyme technology
The restriction of enzyme mobility in a fixed space is known as enzyme
immobilization.
Immobilzed enzyme provides important advantages, such as reutilization
and elimination of enzyme recovery and purification processes, and may
provide a better environment for enzyme activity.
Since enzymes are expensive, catalyst reuse is critical for many processes.
Some of the intracellular enzyme are membrane bound, immobilized
enzymes provide a model system to mimic and understand the action of
some membrane bound intracellular enzymes
Product purity is usually improved and effluent handling problems are
minimized by immobilization
 Methods of immobilization
Chemical methods : Surface immobilization
Enzyme attachment to matrix by covalent bond
Cross-linked enzyme matrix
Enzyme cross-linking by multifunctional reagents
Physical methods: Enzyme entrapment
Enzyme entrapped in a porous hollow fiber
Enzyme entrapped in spun fibers
Enzyme entrapped with in insoluble gel matrix
Enzyme entrapped with in a microcapsule
 Entrapment

Entrapment is the physical enclosure of enzyme in a small space

Matrix entrapment and membrane entrapment including microencapsulation are
the two major methods for entrapment
Matrix are used for enzyme immobilization are usually polymeric materials
such aa Ca-alginate, agar, -carrageenan, polyacrylamide and collagen
Some solid matrix such as activated carbon, porous ceramic, and diatomaceous
earth can also be used for this purpose
The matrix can be particle, a membrane or a fiber
Entrapment contd

When immobilizing in a polymer matrix, enzyme solution is mixed with

polymer solution before polymerization take place. Polymerized gel containing
enzyme is either extruded or a template is used to shape the particle from a
liquid polymer-enzyme matrix. Entrapment and surface attachment may be used
in combination.
Membrane entrapment of enzyme is possible: for example , hollow fiber units
have been used to entrap and enzyme solution between thin , semipermeable
membranes. Membranes of nylon, cellulose, polysulfone and polyacrylate are
commonly used
A special form of membrane is microencapsulation. In this technique,
microscopic hollow sphere are formed. The spheres contain the enzyme
solution, while the sphere is enclosed with in the porous membrane.
Entrapment contd

Entrapment
- Matrix Entrapment - Membrane Entrapment
(microencapsulation)
 Surface immobilization
Two major types of immobilization of enzyme on the surface of
support materials are adsorption and covalent binding
Adsorption is the attachment of enzymes on the surfaces of support
particles by weak physical forces, such as van der Waals or dispersion
forces. The active sites of the adsorbed enzyme is usually unaffected,
and nearly full activity is retained upon adsorption
Covalent binding is the retention of enzyme on support by covalent
bond formation. Enzyme molecules bind to support material via
certain functional groups such as amino, carboxyl, hydroxyl and
sulfhydryl groups. These functional groups must not be in the active
sites.
Cross-linking is to cross link enzyme molecules with each other
using agents such as glutaraldehyde.
Industrial application of enzymes
Enzyme uses
Cleaning (Detergents), Textiles, Starch processing, Brewing, Leather
Baking, Pulp and Paper, Food and Specialities, Animal feeds and Cosmetics
Industrial uses for specialty chemicals
Organic acids
Chiral drugs
Chiral intermediates
Semi-synthetic antibiotics
Therapeutics
Treatment of Gaucher's disease
 Industrial uses
1. Starch conversions
Production of glucose syrup
Production of high fructose corn syrup
Production of high maltose conversion syrups
Production of cyclodextrins
Production of ethanol
2. Lignocellulosic Biomass conversions
Cellulose conversion
Hemicellulose conversion
Lignin conversion
Some industrial uses of enzymes

Detergents industry
Bacterial proteinases are still the most important detergent enzymes .
Amylases are used in detergents to remove starch bases strians
Cellulases have been a part of detergents since early 90s: an enzyme
complex capable of degrading crystalline cellulose to glucose
Drink Industry
The use of chymosin in cheese making to coagulate milk protien
Beta-galactosidase (lactase) Splits milk-sugar lactose into glucose and
galactose is also used in milk industry. This process is used for milk
products that are consumed by lactose intolerant consumers
 Fruit juice manufacturing
Pectinase , xylanase and cellulase improve the liberation of the juice from the
pulp
pectinase and amylases are used in juice clarification
Textiles
The use of enzymes in textile industry is one of the most rapidly growing field
in industrial enzymology
Starch has for a long time been used as a protective glue of fibers in weaving
of fabrics. This is called sizing
Enzymes are used to remove the starch in a process called desizing: amylases
are used in this process since they donot harm the testile fibers
Laccase a polyphenol oxidase is used to degrade lignin the aromatic polymer
found in all plant materials
Cellulases remove cellulose micorfibrils , which are formed during washing