“…While diffusing into the pores of the particle, the small oligosaccharides are also further degraded by the ␣-amylase entrapped in the interior of the beads, resulting in greater intraparticle mass transfer (since smaller molecules have higher diffusion coefficients). When Zulkowski starch (a partly degraded starch with a lower mean molecular weight) (Heitmann et al, 1997) was used as substrate, instead of soluble (potato) starch, we did note that efficient glucose production could be achieved using magnetic chitosan beads immobilized with only glucoamylase (data not shown). In the subsequent experiments to examine starch hydrolysis in batch reactors, soluble (potato) starch was used with beads in the 150-300 m size range co-immobilized at an enzyme mass loading ratio of 6:4 (A:G).…”