EUPERGIT Oxirane Acrylic Beads:  How to Make Enzymes Fit for Biocatalysis

Abstract

Enzyme recycling is essential for the development of large-scale enzyme-catalyzed biotransformations. Recycling is most convenient using enzymes immobilized on solid supports. Although immobilization on solid supports has been pursued since the 1950s, there are no general rules for selecting the best support for a given application. The commercial products EUPERGIT C and EUPERGIT C 250 L have been used for a wide variety of different enzymes and reactions. The present review draws up a comprehensive application profile of both EUPERGIT carriers. The reader gets (a) examples of biotransformations using oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases and lyases immobilized on EUPERGIT; (b) key data of the biotransformations, i.e., scale, yield, purity, and enantiomeric excess; (c) efficiency of the immobilization (% immobilized activity); (d) where appropriate, operational stability of the immobilized enzyme preparations, that is, number of cycles, residual activity; (e) specific advantages of the immobilized enzyme over the free enzyme apart from enzyme recycling, for example, improved stability and selectivity. Thus, the present review can serve as a guideline when selecting a resin for enzyme immobilization. Literature published between 1985 and 2000 is covered.

Enzyme immobilization: an update

“…A major drawback of hydrophilic resins is diffusion limitations, the effects of which, as would be expected, are more pronounced in kinetically controlled processes. Immobilization by covalent attachment to acrylic resins has been successfully applied to a variety of enzymes for industrial application [44,45].…”

Improved Performance of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase by covalent immobilization onto Amberzyme

“…In the second step they react with the oxirane groups by nucleophilic attack. In this way, very stable C−N and C−S bonds are formed [20]. While the immobilization yield changed from 80.9±0.2% to 96.0±0.6%, the activity yield changed from 122±1.1% to 139±1.2% by increasing the immobilization time from 24 to 96 hours.…”

“…It is known that immobilization of enzymes with epoxy-activated supports at 20-25 o C and the longer incubation time lead to the improvement of the formation of new covalent linkages between the enzymes and the support. In this way more stable immobilized biocatalysts are produced, leading to a remarkably higher activity as compared to free lipase (145±1.4%), as well as very high operational and storage stability [20]. The current study was performed with just one type of immobilization support.…”

The Art of Immobilization Using Biopolymers, Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology

“…The exploitation of novel carriers that enable high enzyme loading and activity retention has become the focus of recent attention (Boller et al, 2002). The large surface areas and greater pore volumes of these materials could enhance the loading capacity of an enzyme and the large pores in the support facilitate transport of substrate and product (Chong and Zhao, 2004).…”