Effects of magnetic fields on the enzymatic synthesis of naringin palmitate

The effects of magnetic fields on the enzymatic synthesis of naringin palmitate were studied. Both immobilized Candida Antarctica lipase B (I-CALB) and I-CALB tert-amyl alcohol solution were treated with magnetic fields of 100, 300, or 500 mT for 1, 2, or 3 h. Characteristics including the initial rate and the conversion yields after 24 h of reaction with magnetized I-CALB (M-I-CALB) and magnetized I-CALB tert-amyl alcohol solution (M-I-CALB-S) were investigated. Magnetic field application to both I-CALB and I-CALB-S influenced I-CALB activity. Enzyme activity increased for M-I-CALB and M-I-CALB-S with some intensities and durations and reached maxima at certain frequencies. Enzyme inactivation was only found with M-I-CALB exposed to a strong magnetic field (500 mT) for a long time (3 h). Unlike M-I-CALB, M-I-CALB-S exposed to a strong magnetic field for a long time (500 mT, 3 h) showed greater activity enhancement relative to I-CALB. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) results showed that the relative secondary structure content of free CALB was changed only slightly by the differing magnetic field intensities and durations. These findings should prove valuable for using magnetic fields in enzymatic reactions.