An organic solvent and surfactant stable α-amylase from soybean seeds

An organic solvent and surfactant stable α-amylase was obtained from soybean seeds. The direct and indirect effect of various organic solvents (non-polar, polar protic, and polar aprotic) and surfactants on the activity and stability of free enzyme was determined. The enzyme showed a very high catalytic efficiency and stabilization against most of the organic solvents and surfactants tested, except for few. Those organic solvents and surfactants (like chloroform, dimethyl formamide, n-butanol, and Tween 20), which caused an inhibition in enzyme activity, were used to study their effects on immobilized enzyme. The inhibitory effect was found to be decreased in immobilized enzyme as compared to free enzyme indicating that immobilization imparted stability to the enzyme. Moreover, the possibility of reuse of the enzyme in the presence of the organic solvents and surfactants was increased upon immobilization. The stability of soybean α-amylase towards organic solvents and surfactants shows that it is a potential candidate for use in organic-solvent biocatalysis as well as in detergent industries.