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Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Part A: Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (v.104, #3)
Production, purification, and characterization of a low-molecular-mass xylanase from Aspergillus sp. and its application in baking by Norma A. Camacho; Guillermo Aguilar O (pp. 159-171).
An extracellular xylanase produced by a Mexican Aspergillus strain was purified and characterized. Aspergillus sp. FP-470 was able to grow and produce extracellular xylanases on birchwood xylan, oat spelt xylan, wheat straw, and corncob, with higher production observed on corncob. The strain also produced enzymes with cellulase, amylase, and pectinase activities on this substrate. A 22-kDa endoxylanase was purified 30-fold. Optimum temperature and pH were 60°C and 5.5, respectively, and isoelectric point was 9.0. The enzyme has good stability from pH 5.0 to 10.0 retaining >80% of its original activity within this range. Half-lives of 150 min at 50°C and 6.5 min at 60°C were found. K m and activation energy values were 3.8 mg/mL and 26 kJ/mol, respectively, using birch wood xylan as substrate. The enzyme showed a higher affinity for 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronoxylan with a K m of 1.9 mg/mL. The enzyme displayed no activity toward other polysaccharides, including cellulose. Baking trials were conducted using the crude filtrate and purified enzyme. Addition of both preparations improved bread volume. However, addition of purified endoxylanase caused a 30% increase in volume over the crude extract.
Keywords: Aspergillus ; purification; endoxylanase; bread making
Purification of neutral protease by dye affinity chromatography by Nancy B. Iannucci; Agustín A. Navarro del Cañizo; Osvaldo Cascone (pp. 173-183).
Twenty triazinic dyes were assayed as ligands for the chromatographic affinity purification of a neutral protease from Flavourzyme™, a commercial preparation. Screening at pH 4.0 allowed the selection of eight dyes on the basis of their high protease adsorption. When the pH was set to 5.0 in order to increase selectivity, only Yellow HE-4R, Red HE-3B, and Cibacron Blue F3G-A maintained protease adsorption at high values. Neither maximum capacities nor dissociation constants calculated from isotherms measured at 8 and 25°C showed great differences. By contrast, a strong temperature effect was evidenced in the elution step: elution at 8°C allowed 70, 81, and 98% recovery of adsorbed protease with Yellow HE-4R, Red HE-3B, and Cibacron Blue F3G-A, respectively, whereas only 20% recovery was attained at 25°C. Based on the results obtained, a purification process for the neutral protease contained in Flavourzyme with Cibacron Blue F3G-A as the affinity ligand was developed, yielding 96% of electrophoretically pure enzyme in a single step, the specific activity rising from 850 to 3650 U/mg.
Keywords: Enzymes; neutral protease; purification; dye affinity chromatography; temperature effect
Immobilization of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase on silica gel and enhancement of its stability by Seung Won Park; Jee Won Lee; Suk In Hong; Seung Wook Kim (pp. 185-198).
Glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase isan enzyme that converts GL-7-ACA to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid, a starting material for semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotics. In this study, optimal conditions for the immobilization of GL-7-ACA acylase were determined by experimental observations and statistical methods. The optimal conditions were as follows: 1.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 8.3) as buffer solution, immobilization temperature of 20°C, and immobilization time of 120 min. Unreacted aldehydegroups were quenched by reaction with a low-molecular-weight material such as l-lysine, glycine, and ethanolamine after immobilization in order to enhance the activity of immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase. The activities of immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase obtained by using the low-molecular-weight materials were higher than those obtained by immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase not treated with low-molecular-weight materials. In particular, the highest activity of immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase was obtained using 0.4% (v/v) ethanolamine. We also investigated the effect of sodium cyanoborohydride in order to increase the stability of the linkage between the enzyme and the support. The effect on operational stability was obvious: the activity of immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase treated with 4% (w/w) sodium cyanoborohydride remained almost 100% after 20 times of reuse.
Keywords: Immobilization; glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase; statistical method; ethanolamine; sodium cyanoborohydride
Mass transfer and benzene removal from air using latex rubber tubing and a hollow-fiber membrane module by Mark Fitch; Jeffrey Neeman; Ellen England (pp. 199-214).
A dense-phase latex rubber tube and a polyporous propylene hollow-fiber membrane module (HFMM) were investigated for control of benzene-contaminated gas streams. The abiotic mass flux observed through the latex tube was 3.9–13 mg/(min·m2) for 150 ppm of benzene at various gas and liquid flow rates, while a 100-fold lower mass flux was observed in the HFMM. After seeding with an aromatic-degrading culture enriched from activated sludge, the observed removal was 80% of 150 ppm, corresponding toa mass flux of 45 mg/(min·m2). The observed mass flux through the HFMM during biofiltration also rose, to 0.4 mg/(min·m2). Because the HFMM had a 50-fold higher surface area than the latex tube, the observed ben zene removal was 99.8%. Compared to conventional biofilters, the two reactors had modest elimination capacities, 2.5–18 g/(m3·h) in the latex tube membrane bioreactor and 4.8–58 g/(m3·h) in the HFMM. Although the HFMM had a higher elimination capacity, the gas-phase pressure drop was much greater.
Keywords: Biofiltration; biofilter; benzene; membrane; latex; hollowfiber membrane module; biokinetic