Insight into the glycosylation and hydrolysis kinetics of alpha-glucosidase in the synthesis of glycosides

α-Glucosidase, Agl 2, from Xanthomonas campestris was successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells and purified with Ni columns. The enzyme exhibits glycosylation abilities towards a wide range of phenolic substrates, including phenol, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin, with maltose as the glycosyl donor. The catalytic properties of the purified enzyme were further investigated. It was observed that the synthesized glycosides started to degrade with prolonged catalytic time, giving an “n”-shaped kinetic profile. To understand such catalytic behavior, the Agl 2-catalyzed glycosylation process was investigated kinetically. Based on the obtained parameters, it was concluded that although the substrate conversions are thermodynamically restricted in a batch system, the glycosylation efficiency can be kinetically controlled by the glycosylation/hydrolysis selectivity. Glucose was produced by both glycosylation and hydrolysis, significantly impacting the glycosylation efficiency. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the α-glucosidase-catalyzed glycosylation process in a water-based system. The developed kinetic model was successful in explaining and analyzing the catalytic process. It is suggested that when α-glucosidase is employed for glycosylation in a water-enriched environment, the catalytic efficiency is mainly impacted by the enzyme’s glycosylation/hydrolysis selectivity and glucose content in the catalytic environment.