A novel method for the immobilization of glucoamylase onto polyglutaraldehyde-activated gelatin

A novel method was developed for the immobilization of glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger. The enzyme was immobilized onto polyglutaraldehyde-activated gelatin particles in the presence of polyethylene glycol and soluble gelatin, resulting in 85% immobilization yield. The immobilized enzyme has been fully active for 30 days. In addition, the immobilized enzyme retained 90 and 75% of its activity in 60 and 90 days, respectively. The enzyme optimum conditions were not affected by immobilization and the optimum pH and temperature for free and immobilized enzyme were 4 and 65 °C, respectively. The kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of maltodextrin by free and immobilized glucoamylase were also determined. The Km values for free and immobilized enzyme were 7.5 and 10.1 g maltodextrin/l, respectively. The Vmax values for free and immobilized enzyme were estimated as 20 and 16 μmol glucose/(min μl enzyme), respectively. The newly developed method is simple yet effective and could be used for the immobilization of some other enzymes.