A Comparative Study on Immobilization of Fructosyltransferase in Biodegradable Polymers by Electrospinning

Advanced applications in enzyme-induced electrospun nanofibers

Electrospun nanofibers, renowned for their high specific surface area, robust mechanical properties, and versatile chemical functionalities, offer a promising platform for enzyme immobilization. Over the past decade, significant strides have been made in developing enzyme-induced electrospun nanofibers (EIEN). This review systematically summarizes the advanced applications of EIEN which are fabricated using both non-specific immobilization methods including interfacial adsorption (direct adsorption, cross-linking, and covalent binding) and encapsulation, and specific immobilization techniques (coordination and affinity immobilization). Future research should prioritize optimizing immobilization techniques to achieve a balance between enzyme activity, stability, and cost-effectiveness, thereby facilitating the industrialization of EIEN. We elucidate the rationale behind various immobilization methods and their applications, such as wastewater treatment, biosensors, and biomedicine. We aim to provide guidelines for developing suitable EIEN immobilization techniques tailored to specific future applications.

Nano-biocatalysts for food applications; immobilized enzymes within different nanostructures

The rapid progress in modern technologies and paying more attention to food safety has prompted new green technologies superior than chemical methods in the food industry. In this regard, enzymes can decrease the usage of chemical reactions but they are sensitive to environmental effects (pH and temperature). In addition, enzymes are scarcely possible to be reused. Consequently, their application as natural catalysts is restricted. Using nanotechnology and the possibility of enzyme immobilization on nanomaterials has led to nanobiocatalysts, resulting from the integration of nanotechnology and biotechnology. Nanocarriers have individual features like nanoscale size, excellent surface/volume ratio, and diversity in construction to improve the activity, efficiency, stability, and storage stability of enzymes. Nanobiocatolysts have a wide range of applications in purification, extraction, clarification, production, and packaging of various products in the food industry. Furthermore, the application of nanobiocatalysts to identify specific components of food contaminants such as microorganisms or their metabolites, heavy metals, antibiotics, and residual pesticides has been successful due to the high accuracy of detection. This review investigates the integration of nanotechnology and food enzymes, the nanomaterials used to create nanobiocatalysts and their application, along with the possible risks and legal aspects of nanomaterials in food bioprocesses.

Polymers as Encapsulating Agents and Delivery Vehicles of Enzymes

Enzymes are versatile biomolecules with broad applications. Since they are biological molecules, they can be easily destabilized when placed in adverse environmental conditions, such as variations in temperature, pH, or ionic strength. In this sense, the use of protective structures, as polymeric capsules, has been an excellent approach to maintain the catalytic stability of enzymes during their application. Thus, in this review, we report the use of polymeric materials as enzyme encapsulation agents, recent technological developments related to this subject, and characterization methodologies and possible applications of the formed bioactive structures. Our search detected that the most explored methods for enzyme encapsulation are ionotropic gelation, spray drying, freeze-drying, nanoprecipitation, and electrospinning. α-chymotrypsin, lysozyme, and β-galactosidase were the most used enzymes in encapsulations, with chitosan and sodium alginate being the main polymers. Furthermore, most studies reported high encapsulation efficiency, enzyme activity maintenance, and stability improvement at pH, temperature, and storage. Therefore, the information presented here shows a direction for the development of encapsulation systems capable of stabilizing different enzymes and obtaining better performance during application.

Highly enhanced activity and stability via affinity induced immobilization β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger onto amino-based silica for the biotransformation of ginsenoside Rb1

In this study, an enzyme immobilization method for the effective biotransformation of ginsenoside Rb1 to impart activity and stability was developed. Using a hydrolase enzyme model, β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger, immobilization within chemically affinity-linked amino-based silica provided an immobilization efficiency 5.86-fold higher than that of free enzyme. Compared with the free enzyme, the immobilized enzyme functioned optimally at a wider pH range and had higher thermostability. The optimum pH for the free and immobilized enzymes was 5.5. The optimal reaction temperature of the immobilized enzyme was 45 °C, which was 5 °C higher than that of the free enzyme. The Michaelis constant (K_m) values before and after immobilization were 0.482 mmol•L^-1 and 0.387 mmol•L^-1, respectively. The catalytic rate (K_cat) for the immobilized and free enzymes was 22.269 mmol•L^-1and 8.800 mmol•L^-1, respectively, and the catalytic efficiency (K_cat/K_m) activity of the immobilized enzyme was 3.30-fold higher than that of the free enzyme. The immobilized enzyme could preserve 97 % of the activity after 45 cycles of repeated use. The high catalytic activity and significant operational stability are beneficial for industrial applications.

Design of Switchable Enzyme Carriers Based on Stimuli-Responsive Porous Polymer Membranes for Bioapplications

Design of efficient enzyme carriers, where enzymes are conjugated to supports, has become an attractive research avenue. Immobilized enzymes are advantageous for practical applications because of their convenience in handling, ease of separation, and good reusability. However, the main challenge is that these traditional enzyme carriers are unable to regulate the enzymolysis efficiency or to protect the enzymes from proteolytic degradation, which restricts their effectiveness of enzymes in bioapplications. Enlightened by the stimuli-responsive channels in the natural cell membranes, conjugation of the enzymes within flat-sheet stimuli-responsive porous polymer membranes (SR-PPMs) as artificial cell membranes is an efficient strategy for circumventing this challenge. Controlled by the external stimuli, the multifunctional polymer chains, which are incorporated within the membranes and attached to the enzyme, change their structures to defend the enzyme from the external environmental disturbances and degradation by proteinases. Specifically, smart SR-PPM enzyme carriers (SR-PPMECs) not only permit convective substrate transfer through the accessible porous network, dramatically improving enzymolysis efficiency due to the adjustable pore sizes and the confinement effect, but they also act as molecular switches for regulating its permeability and selectivity. In this review, the concept of SR-PPMECs is presented. It covers the latest developments in design strategies of flat-sheet SR-PPFMs, fabrication protocols of SR-PPFMECs, strategies for the regulation of enzymolysis efficiency, and their cutting-edge bioapplications.

Biochemical characterization of extracellular fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus oryzae IPT-301 immobilized on silica gel for the production of fructooligosaccharides

OBJECTIVE

Extracellular fructosyltransferase (FTase, E.C.2.4.1.9) from Aspergillus oryzae IPT-301 was immobilized on silica gel by adsorption and biochemically characterized aiming at its application in the transfructosylation reaction of sucrose for the production of fructooligossaccarides (FOS).

RESULTS

The transfructosylation activity (A_T) was maximized by the experimental design in function of the reaction pHs and temperatures. The A_T of the immobilized enzyme showed the kinetics behavior described by the Hill model. The immobilized FTase showed reuse capacity for six consecutive reaction cycles and higher pH and thermal stability than the soluble enzyme.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest a high potential of application of silica gel as support for FTase immobilization aiming at FOS production.

Immobilization of β-Galactosidase From Aspergillus oryzae on Electrospun Gelatin Nanofiber Mats for the Production of Galactooligosaccharides

Two simple and easily reproducible methods for the immobilization of β-galactosidase (β-gal) from Aspergillus oryzae on electrospun gelatin nanofiber mats (GFM) were developed. The process was optimized regarding the electrospinning solvent system and the subsequent cross-linking of GFM in order to increase their stability in water. β-Gal was covalently immobilized on activated gelatin nanofiber mats with hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) as a bifunctional linker and secondly via entrapment into the gelatin nanofibers during the electrospinning process (suspension electrospinning). Optimal immobilization parameters for covalent immobilization were determined to be at pH 7.5, 40 °C, β-gal concentration of 1 mg/mL and immobilization time of 24.5 h. For suspension electrospinning, the optimal immobilization parameters were identified at pH 4.5 and β-gal concentration of 0.027 wt.% in the electrospinning solution. The pH and temperature optima of immobilized β-gal shifted from 30 °C, pH 4.5 (free enzyme) to pH 3.5, 50 °C (covalent immobilization) and pH 3.5, 40 °C (suspension electrospinning). Striking differences in the Michaelis constant (KM) of immobilized β-gal compared with free enzyme were observed with a reduction of KM up to 50% for immobilized enzyme. The maximum velocity (vmax) of immobilization by suspension electrospinning was almost 20 times higher than that of covalent immobilization. The maximum GOS yield for free β-gal was found to be 27.7% and 31% for immobilized β-gal.

Recent advances in β-galactosidase and fructosyltransferase immobilization technology

The highly demanding conditions of industrial processes may lower the stability and affect the activity of enzymes used as biocatalysts. Enzyme immobilization emerged as an approach to promote stabilization and easy removal of enzymes for their reusability. The aim of this review is to go through the principal immobilization strategies addressed to achieve optimal industrial processes with special care on those reported for two types of enzymes: β-galactosidases and fructosyltransferases. The main methods used to immobilize these two enzymes are adsorption, entrapment, covalent coupling and cross-linking or aggregation (no support is used), all of them having pros and cons. Regarding the support, it should be cost-effective, assure the reusability and an easy recovery of the enzyme, increasing its stability and durability. The discussion provided showed that the type of enzyme, its origin, its purity, together with the type of immobilization method and the support will affect the performance during the enzymatic synthesis. Enzymes' immobilization involves interdisciplinary knowledge including enzymology, nanotechnology, molecular dynamics, cellular physiology and process design. The increasing availability of facilities has opened a variety of possibilities to define strategies to optimize the activity and re-usability of β-galactosidases and fructosyltransferases, but there is still great place for innovative developments.

Effect of graphene oxide with different morphological characteristics on properties of immobilized enzyme in the covalent method

Although graphene oxide (GO) has great potential in the field of immobilized enzyme catalysts, the detailed effects of GO with different morphological structures on immobilized enzyme are not well understood. GOs were prepared from 8000 mesh and nanoscale graphite at different reaction temperatures, and used as carriers to immobilize alpha-amylase by cross-linking method. The properties of GOs were characterized through Atomic force microscope, Fourier-transformed infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and UV-Vis. Furthermore, the dosage of cross-linking agent, cross-linking time, optimum temperature/pH, thermal/pH/storage stability, reusability and kinetic parameters of immobilized enzymes were investigated. The results showed that the loading of alpha-amylase on GOs was 162.3-274.2 mg g^-1. The reusability experiments revealed high activity maintenance of immobilized alpha-amylase even after seven reaction cycles. Moreover, the storage stability of immobilized enzyme improved via immobilization in comparison with free one and it maintained over 70% of their initial activity after 20 days storage at 4 °C.

Core-Shell Encapsulation of Lipophilic Substance in Jelly Fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) Polysaccharides Using an Inexpensive Acrylic-Based Millifluidic Device

The polysaccharides extracted from the achenes of jelly fig, Ficus awkeotsang Makino, were mainly composed of low methyl pectin and used as a novel shell material for encapsulating lipophilic bioactives in the core of microcapsule. The polysaccharide microcapsules with oil core were prepared using a novel acrylic-based millifluidic device developed in this study. To investigate the physiochemical properties of and find the suitable formula of polysaccharide shells, the films casted with jelly fig polysaccharide were thoroughly characterized. For the preparation of microcapsules, the millifluidic device was optimized by controlling the flow rate to obtain uniform spherical shape with a core diameter of 1.4-1.9 mm and the outer diameter of 2.1-2.8 mm. The encapsulation efficiency was around 90%, and the microcapsules displayed a clear boundary between the polysaccharide shell and oil core. Encapsulation of curcumin in the microcapsules was prepared to test the applicability of the device and processes developed in this study, and the results showed that the microencapsulation could enhance the stability of curcumin against external environment. Overall, the results suggested that the jelly fig polysaccharides and the developed millifluidic device can be useful for the preparation of core-shell microcapsules for encapsulation of lipophilic bioactives.

Strategies to Tune Electrospun Scaffold Porosity for Effective Cell Response in Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering aims to develop artificial human tissues by culturing cells on a scaffold in the presence of biochemical cues. Properties of scaffold such as architecture and composition highly influence the overall cell response. Electrospinning has emerged as one of the most affordable, versatile, and successful approaches to develop nonwoven nano/microscale fibrous scaffolds whose structural features resemble that of the native extracellular matrix. However, dense packing of the fibers leads to small-sized pores which obstruct cell infiltration and therefore is a major limitation for their use in tissue engineering applications. To this end, a variety of approaches have been investigated to enhance the pore properties of the electrospun scaffolds. In this review, we collect state-of-the-art modification methods and summarize them into six classes as follows: approaches focused on optimization of packing density by (a) conventional setup, (b) sequential or co-electrospinning setups, (c) involving sacrificial elements, (d) using special collectors, (e) post-production processing, and (f) other specialized methods. Overall, this review covers historical as well as latest methodologies in the field and therefore acts as a quick reference for those interested in electrospinning matrices for tissue engineering and beyond.

Production of Cold-Active Lipase by Free and Immobilized Marine Bacillus cereus HSS: Application in Wastewater Treatment

Lipases are enzymes that have the potential to hydrolyze triacylglycerol to free fatty acids and glycerol and have various applications. The aim of the present study was to isolate and screen marine bacteria for lipase production, optimize the production, and treat wastewater. A total of 20 marine bacterial isolates were obtained from the Mediterranean Sea and were screened for lipase production. All isolates were found to have lipolytic ability. The differences between the isolates were studied using RAPD-PCR. The most promising lipase producer (isolate 3) that exhibited the highest lipolytic hydrolysis (20 mm) was identified as Bacillus cereus HSS using 16S rDNA analysis and had the accession number MF581790. Optimization of lipase production was carried out using the Plackett-Burman experimental design with cotton seed oil as the inducer under shaking conditions at 10°C. The most significant factors that affected lipase production were FeSO4, KCl, and oil concentrations. By using the optimized culture conditions, the lipase activity increased by 1.8-fold compared with basal conditions. Immobilization by adsorption of cells on sponge and recycling raised lipase activity by 2.8-fold compared with free cells. The repeated reuse of the immobilized B. cereus HSS maintained reasonable lipase activity. A trial for the economic treatment of oily wastewater was carried out. Removal efficiencies of biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and oil and grease were 87.63, 90, and 94.7%, respectively, which is promising for future applications.