Biocatalytic Foams from Microdroplet-Formulated Self-Assembling Enzymes

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Industrial biocatalysis is crucial for sustainable chemical synthesis, utilizing enzymes under mild conditions.
• Continuous flow biocatalysis in microreactors requires efficient enzyme immobilization for high material conversion.
• Current methods for enzyme immobilization often face challenges in stability and scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for creating highly active and stable enzyme biocatalysts.
• To investigate the potential of enzyme foams for continuous flow biocatalysis in microreactors.
• To demonstrate the application of these enzyme foams in cascade reactions for synthesizing valuable compounds.

Main Methods:

• Enzyme foams were synthesized using recombinant enzymes linked via SpyCatcher/SpyTag conjugation.
• Microfluidic air-in-water droplet formation was employed to create monodisperse enzyme foams.
• The foams were characterized using physicochemical methods and tested in microreactors for biocatalytic applications.

Main Results:

• Monodisperse enzyme foams composed almost entirely of covalently linked enzymes were successfully produced.
• The enzyme foams demonstrated high stability and biocatalytic activity after drying and integration into microreactors.
• Exemplary applications included two-enzyme cascades for stereoselective synthesis of chiral alcohols and tagatose.

Conclusions:

• Enzyme foams produced via microfluidics and SpyCatcher/SpyTag conjugation represent a promising new platform for industrial biocatalysis.
• These materials offer a scalable and efficient approach to enzyme immobilization for continuous flow processes.
• The developed method enables the creation of robust biocatalytic systems with significant potential for sustainable chemical manufacturing.