Immobilization of chitosan-invertase neoglycoconjugate on carboxymethylcellulose-modified chitin

Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase, chemically modified with chitosan, was immobilized on a carboxymethylcellulose-coated chitin support via polyelectrolyte complex formation. The yield of immobilized protein was determined to be 72% and the enzyme retained 68% of the initial invertase activity. The optimum temperature for invertase was increased by 5 degrees C and its thermostability was enhanced by about 9 degrees C after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was stable against incubation in high ionic strength solutions and was 12.6-fold more resistant to thermal treatment at 65 degrees C than the native counterpart. The prepared biocatalyst retained 98% and 100% of the original catalytic activity after 10 cycles of reuse and 70 h of continuous operational regime in a packed bed reactor, respectively. The immobilized enzyme retained 95% of its activity after 50 days of storage at 37 degrees C.