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Horseradish roots (Armoracia rusticana) fresh extract was the source of unpurified horseradish peroxidase (HRP) which was used for the immobilization in a form of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs). Among three precipitants used, acetone appeared to be the best choice for the precipitation. Acetone with 2% of glutaraldehyde gave the recovery of 30.3% of the enzyme initial activity. Horseradish peroxidase immobilized in a form of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (HRP-CLEAs) showed remarkable efficiency in Acid Violet 109 (AV 109) oxidation. Under optimal conditions (pH 4, dye concentration 30 mg L À1 , hydrogen peroxide concentration 0.1 mM), 72.4 and 88.9% of dye was oxidized using HRP-CLEAs in a batch and packed bed reactor, respectively. Higher stability was apparent in the packed bed reactor compared to the batch reactor where the mechanical instability of aggregates under constant agitation has been proved. After seven consecutive cycles the retained activity was 60 and 20% in the recycled packed bed and batch reactor, respectively. The feasibility of HRP-CLEAs application in dye oxidation was confirmed by significant dye oxidation percentage and reduction of the toxicity in the samples collected after enzymatic treatment in the recycled packed bed reactor, using brine shrimp, Artemia salina.

In this study, the feasibility of the synthesis of various flavor esters catalyzed by a commercial lipase from Candida rugosa was investigated and the process parameters were optimized. Lipase from C. rugosa successfully catalyzed the synthesis of 19 esters. The highest yields, of more than 90 % after 20 h, were observed in the synthesis of short-chain esters, pentyl propanoate, isopentyl butanoate, and butyl butanoate. Increasing the number of carbon atoms of both substrates above 8 caused a significant decrease of the initial reaction rates and the final yields. The enzyme showed surprisingly low affinity towards pentanoic acid and hexanoic acid, compared with the higher homologues, octanoic acid and decanoic acid. In addition to the number of carbon atoms, the structure of the substrates had a significant influence on the enzyme activity. Namely, the activity of the enzyme towards isopropanol was significantly lower compared with n-propanol. Additionally, cis-9-octadecenoic acid was a better substrate than octadecanoic acid, its saturated analogue.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is a highly specific enzyme with great potential for use in the decolorization of synthetic dyes. A comprehensive study of HRP immobilization using various techniques such as adsorption and covalent immobilization on the novel carrier Purolite® A109 with a special focus on enzymatic decolorization and toxicity of artificially colored wastewater. The immobilized preparations with an activity of 156.21 ± 1.41 U g−1 and 85.71 ± 1.62 U g−1 after the HRP adsorption and covalent immobilization, respectively, were obtained. Stability and reusability of the immobilized preparations were also evaluated. A noteworthy decolorization level (~90%) with immobilized HRP was achieved. Phytotoxicity testing using Mung bean seeds and acute toxicity assay with Artemia salina has confirmed the applicability of the obtained immobilized preparation in industrial wastewater plants for the treatment of colored wastewater.

Response surface methodology was used for the evaluation of the effects of various factors on the synthesis of biodiesel catalyzed with immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei in a solvent-free system. The production of biodiesel was optimized and model response equations were obtained, enabling the prediction of biodiesel production from the values of the four main factors. It would seem that the reaction temperature and the amount of water predominantly determined the conversion process while the methanol/oil molar ratio had no significant influence on the reaction rate. The temperature and amount of water showed negative interactive effects on the observed reaction rate per amount of enzyme. However, there were no significant interactions among the other variables according to the test of statistical significance. The highest yield of 10.15 mol kg -1 enzyme was observed at 45 °C with a 6:1 methanol to oil molar ratio and with no added water in the system.

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Monoacylglycerols are non-ionic surfactants widely used in the food industry. They are also important in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as drug carriers and for the consistency improvements in creams and lotions. Current process for their production is based on the glycerolysis of natural fats and oils in the presence of inorganic catalysts at temperatures higher than 220 oC. The major drawbacks of this process include high-energy consumption, low yield, and poor product quality. The use of lipases for the monoacylglycerols production offers environmental advantages and a reduction in energy consumption. Besides, the same surfactants prepared by the enzymatic synthesis may be labeled as “natural”. Recent progress in the application of highly-stable lipases in the organic solvents offers the possibility of employing various methods to the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of monoacylglycerols, such as selective hydrolysis of fats and oils using 1,3-regiospecific lipases, the esterification of glycerol with fatty acids and the glycerolysis of fats or oils. In this review, different reaction systems such as aqueous-organic two-phase systems, microemulsions and reverse micelles systems, anhydrous organic solvents, solvent-free systems with free or immobilized lipases, as well as the use of two-phase membrane reactor systems are presented. We discuss some of the key factors, such as the control of water content, removing of the products from reaction system, and the effects of solvent on the lipase activity and selectivity, that must be addressed in order to obtain an efficient reaction system with high yields of monoacylglycerols. Engineering of the enzymatic monoacylglycerols synthesis processes requires also optimization of other factors as: molar ratio of substrates, temperature, type of lipase immobilization and supports (if any), reactor design and operating regime