Two additives to improve stability of immobilized lipase

The presence of two different additives during non-covalent immobilization of lipase was studied. Lipase was immobilized via hydrophobic interactions on an amorphous silica with large pore size bearing octyl groups on the surface. Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) with different molecular weights (MW: 1500, 3000 and 10,000) were added to the suspension during enzyme immobilization, in an enzyme to PEG molar ratio of 1:10, and also 1:20 in the case of PEG1500. The activity after 15 d increased from 10% (absence of PEG) to values close to 40% in samples with PEG except the catalyst immobilized in the presence of 1:10 PEG1500, which kept fully active after 15 d incubation in toluene at 70 degrees C. The presence of water during storage of immobilized enzymes leads to significant activity loss. Saturated solutions of salts controlling the water activity of the systems were used to reduce in a controlled fashion the moisture of the systems: CaCl2 (a(w)=0.037), MgCl2 (a(w)=0.328), Mg(NO3)(2) (a(w)=0.529), Na2PO4.12H(2)O (a(w)=0.74) and KCl (a(w)=0.84). The immobilized lipase was suspended in saturated solutions of these salts, and then filtered and incubated in desiccators in the presence of the corresponding saturated salt solutions. Catalysts suspended and incubated in KCl or only suspended in phosphate kept some 20% activity after 33 d incubation whereas the maximal stability was achieved when the catalyst was suspended in phosphate and kept in a desiccator without salt solution. This catalyst kept around 50% activity after 33 d incubation. An inversely proportional relationship can be established between the stability achieved by the enzyme and the water content of the system.