Immobilization of Naringinase from Aspergillus Niger on a Magnetic Polysaccharide Carrier

Naringinase is an enzymatic complex used in the deglycosylation of compounds with a high application potential in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of the study was to immobilize naringinase from Aspergillus niger KMS on a magnetic carrier obtained on the basis of carob gum activated by polyethyleneimine. Response surface methodology was used to optimize naringinase immobilization taking into account the following factors: pH, immobilization time, initial concentration of naringinase and immobilization temperature. The adsorption of the enzyme on a magnetic carrier was a reversible process. The binding force of naringinase was increased by crosslinking the enzyme with the carrier using dextran aldehyde. The crosslinked enzyme had better stability in an acidic environment and at a higher temperature compared to the free form. The immobilization and stabilization of naringinase by dextran aldehyde on the magnetic polysaccharide carrier lowered the activation energy, thus increasing the catalytic capacity of the investigated enzyme and increasing the activation energy of the thermal deactivation process, which confirms higher stability of the immobilized enzyme in comparison with free naringinase. The preparation of crosslinked naringinase retained over 80% of its initial activity after 10 runs of naringin hydrolysis from fresh and model grapefruit juice.

Immobilization of Naringinase from Penicillium decumbens on Chitosan Microspheres for Debittering Grapefruit Juice

Naringinase is an enzyme complex which exhibits α-l-rhamnosidase and β-d-glucosidase activity. This enzymatic complex catalyzes the hydrolysis of naringin (4',5,7-trihydroxy flavanone 7-rhamnoglucoside), the main bittering component in grapefruit. Reduction of the level of this substance during the processing of juice has been the focus of many studies. The aim of the study was the immobilization of naringinase on chitosan microspheres activated with glutaraldehyde and, finally, the use of such immobilized enzyme for debittering grapefruit juice. The effect of naringinase concentration and characterization of the immobilized enzyme compared to the soluble enzyme were investigated. The maximum activity was observed at optimum pH 4.0 for both free and immobilized naringinase. However, the optimum temperature was shifted from 70 to 40 °C upon immobilization. The KM value of the immobilized naringinase was higher than that of soluble naringinase. The immobilization did not change the thermal stability of the enzyme. The immobilized naringinase had good operational stability. This preparation retained 88.1 ± 2.8% of its initial activity after ten runs of naringin hydrolysis from fresh grapefruit juice. The results indicate that naringinase immobilized on chitosan has potential applicability for debittering and improving the sensory properties of grapefruit juices.