A study on the thermostability of microencapsulated glucose oxidase

Glucose oxidase was microencapsulated within polyurea membranes by the interfacial polymerization method and the stability to heat of the encapsulated enzyme was examined. Thermostability of microencapsulated glucose oxidase was prominent and increased with increase in the amount of glucose oxidase entrapped. This stability, however, could not be ascribed to the peculiar properties of microcapsules but was suggested to be caused by the incorporation of glucose oxidase molecules in the membranes through chemical bonding. This stability revealed that the enzyme molecules in the microcapsules could not always exist in the dissolved form but a fairly large portion of the molecules participated in the polymerization reaction and changed their enzymatic properties.