Modified chitosan as a spacer for protein immobilization

Abstract

Three new, water-soluble, N-modified chitosan derivatives containing poly(ethylene glycol), dextran or inulin side chains were used as spacers for enzyme immobilization on a natural silk carrier. Amylolytic enzymes Maltogenase L and Promozyme D2, lipolytic enzyme Resinase HT and a complex of proteolytic enzymes from Streptomyces flavus 197 were immobilized. The activity of the immobilized enzymes and their stability during storage were similar to that obtained with synthetic polyamine—poly(ethylene imine) as a spacer. High operational stability of co-immobilized amylolytic enzymes Maltogenase L and Promozyme D2 in a continuous flow mini-reactor was demonstrated.

Keywords::

• Chitosan
• enzyme immobilization
• natural silk
• spacer

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to JSC Biopolis (Vilnius, Lithuania) for the generous gift of the enzymes in this study and to J. Lesienė (Kaunas University of Technology), Lithuania for providing macroporous granular cellulose Granocell-2000.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are res ponsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This work was supported by a grant from Lithuanian National Science and Study Fond Nr. N-013/2007.