Effect of Organic Solvents on the Activity, Stability and Secondary Structure of asclepain cI, Using FTIR and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The present study aims at understanding the effect of organic solvents on the specific proteolytic activity and operational stability of asclepain cI in aqueous-organic media, using correlations between geometrical and structural parameters of asclepain cI. These correlations were determined by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the secondary structure of the enzyme validated by Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Asclepain cI exhibited significantly higher catalytic potential in 29 of the 42 aqueous-organic media tested, composed by 0.1 mM TRIS hydrochloride buffer pH 8 (TCB) and an organic solvent, than in buffer alone. Asclepain cI in water-organic miscible systems showed high FTIR spectral similarity with that obtained in TCB, while in immiscible systems the enzyme acquired different secondary structures than in buffer. Among the conditions studied, asclepain cI showed the highest catalytic potential in 50% v/v ethyl acetate in TCB. According to MD simulations, that medium elicited solvation and flexibility changes around the active center of asclepain cI and conducted to a new secondary structure with the active center preserved. These results provide valuable insights into the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of asclepain cI tolerance to organic solvents and pave the way for its future application for the synthesis of peptides in aqueous-organic media.

Industrial bioelectrochemistry for waste valorization: State of the art and challenges.

Bioelectrochemistry has gained importance in recent years for some of its applications on waste valorization, such as wastewater treatment and carbon dioxide conversion, among others. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview of the applications of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) for waste valorization in the industry, identifying current limitations and future perspectives of this technology. BESs are classified according to biorefinery concepts into three different categories: (i) waste to power, (ii) waste to fuel and (iii) waste to chemicals. The main issues related to the scalability of bioelectrochemical systems are discussed, such as electrode construction, the addition of redox mediators and the design parameters of the cells. Among the existing BESs, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) stand out as the more advanced technologies in terms of implementation and R&D investment. However, there has been little transfer of such achievements to enzymatic electrochemical systems. It is necessary that enzymatic systems learn from the knowledge reached with MFC and MEC to accelerate their development to achieve competitiveness in the short term.

Trends in lactose-derived bioactives: synthesis and purification.

Lactose obtained from cheese whey is a low value commodity despite its great potential as raw material for the production of bioactive compounds. Among them, prebiotics stand out as valuable ingredients to be added to food matrices to build up functional foods, which currently represent the most active sector within the food industry. Functional foods market has been growing steadily in the recent decades along with the increasing awareness of the World population about healthy nutrition, and this is having a strong impact on lactose-derived bioactives. Most of them are produced by enzyme biocatalysis because of molecular precision and environmental sustainability considerations. The current status and outlook of the production of lactose-derived bioactive compounds is presented with special emphasis on downstream operations which are critical because of the rather modest lactose conversion and product yields that are attainable. Even though some of these products have already an established market, there are still several challenges referring to the need of developing better catalysts and more cost-effective downstream operations for delivering high quality products at affordable prices. This technological push is expected to broaden the spectrum of lactose-derived bioactive compounds to be produced at industrial scale in the near future.

Effect of product partition on the synthesis of butyl-ß-D-galactoside from Aspergillus oryzae.

The effect of donor substrate and products partitioning on the performance of butyl-ß-galactoside synthesis with Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase was studied. Firstly, the partition coefficient of the donor substrate (lactose) and the reaction products (glucose, galactose and butyl-ß-galactoside) were determined in the aqueous and organic phases of the reaction medium. In the temperature range studied (30 to 50 °C), butyl ß-galactoside was roughly 130 and 30-fold more soluble in the organic phase than lactose and the monosaccharides, respectively. Afterward, the effect of the 1-butanol/ aqueous phase ratio (α) on the reaction was evaluated in the range from 0.25 to 4. Results show that higher values of α reduce the incidence of secondary hydrolysis by favoring the extraction of butyl-ß-galactoside into the organic phase where it is not hydrolyzed, leading to higher yields. Also, major interfacial properties for butyl-ß-galactoside were determined at 25 °C.

Enzymatic production of lactulose by fed-batch and repeated fed-batch reactor.

The effects of the most significant operational variables on reactor performance of fed-batch and repeated fed-batch were evaluated in the lactulose production by enzymatic transgalactosylation. Feed flowrate in the fed stage (F) and fructose to lactose molar ratio (Fr/L) were the variables that mostly affected the values ​​of lactulose yield (YLu), lactulose productivity (πLu) and selectivity of transgalactosylation (SLu/TOS). Maximum YLu of 0.21 g lactulose per g lactose was obtained at 50% w/w inlet carbohydrates concentration (IC) of, 50 °C, Fr/L 8, F 1 mL⋅min-1, 200 IU∙gLactose-1 reactor enzyme load and pH 4.5. At these conditions the selectivity was 7.4, productivity was 0.71 gLu∙g-1∙h-1and lactose conversion was 0.66. The operation by repeated fed batch increases the efficiency of use of the biocatalysts (EB) and the accumulated productivity compared to batch and fed batch operation with the same biocatalyst. EB obtained was 4.13 gLu∙mgbiocatalyst protein-1, 10.6 times higher than in fed-batch.

Development of a Hybrid Bioinorganic Nanobiocatalyst: Remarkable Impact of the Immobilization Conditions on Activity and Stability of ß-Galactosidase.

Hybrid bioinorganic biocatalysts have received much attention due to their simple synthesis, high efficiency, and structural features that favor enzyme activity and stability. The present work introduces a biomineralization strategy for the formation of hybrid nanocrystals from ß-galactosidase. The effects of the immobilization conditions were studied, identifying the important effect of metal ions and pH on the immobilization yield and the recovered activity. For a deeper understanding of the biomineralization process, an in silico study was carried out to identify the ion binding sites at the different conditions. The selected ß-galactosidase nanocrystals showed high specific activity (35,000 IU/g biocatalyst) and remarkable thermal stability with a half-life 11 times higher than the soluble enzyme. The nanobiocatalyst was successfully tested for the synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides, achieving an outstanding performance, showing no signs of diffusional limitations. Thus, a new, simple, biocompatible and inexpensive nanobiocatalyst was produced with high enzyme recovery (82%), exhibiting high specific activity and high stability, with promising industrial applications.

Immobilization strategies of photolyases: Challenges and perspectives for DNA repairing application.

Photolyases are enzymes that repair DNA damage caused by solar radiation. Due to their photorepair potential, photolyases added in topical creams and used in medical treatments has allowed to reverse skin damage and prevent the development of different diseases, including actinic keratosis, premature photoaging and cancer. For this reason, research has been oriented to the study of new photolyases performing in extreme environments, where high doses of UV radiation may be a key factor for these enzymes to have perfected their photorepair potential. Generally, the extracted enzymes are first encapsulated and then added to the topical creams to increase their stability. However, other well consolidated immobilization methods are interesting strategies to be studied that may improve the biocatalyst performance. This review aims to go through the different Antarctic organisms that have exhibited photoreactivation activity, explaining the main mechanisms of photolyase DNA photorepair. The challenges of immobilizing these enzymes on porous and nanostructured supports is also discussed. The comparison of the most reported immobilization methods with respect to the structure of photolyases show that both covalent and ionic immobilization methods produced an increase in their stability. Moreover, the use of nanosized materials as photolyase support would permit the incorporation of the biocatalyst into the target cell, which is a technological requirement that photolyase based biocatalysts must fulfill.

Immobilization of Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase in cation functionalized agarose matrix and its application in the synthesis of lactulose.

Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase was immobilized in in-house quaternary ammonium agarose (QAA) and used for the first time in the synthesis of lactulose. A biocatalyst was obtained with a specific activity of 24,690 IUH∙g-1; protein immobilization yield of 97% and enzyme immobilization yield of 76% were obtained at 30 °C in 10 mM phosphate buffer pH 7 for standard size agarose at 100 mgprotein∙gsupport-1 which the maximum protein load of QAA. Highest yield and specific productivity of lactulose were 0.24 g∙g-1 and 9.78 g∙g-1 h-1 respectively, obtained at pH 6, 100 IUH∙g lactose-1 enzyme/lactose ratio and 12 lactose/fructose molar ratio. In repeated-batch operation with the immobilized enzyme, the cumulative mass of lactulose per unit mass of contacted protein and cumulative specific productivity were higher than obtained with the soluble enzyme since the first batch. After enzyme activity exhaustion, the enzyme was desorbed and QAA support was reused without alteration in its maximum enzyme load capacity and without detriment in yield, productivity and selectivity in the batch synthesis of lactulose with the resulting biocatalyst. This significantly decreases the economic impact of the support, presenting itself as a distinctive advantage of immobilization by ionic interaction.

Biocatalysis in the winemaking industry: Challenges and opportunities for immobilized enzymes.

Enzymes are powerful catalysts already being used in a large number of industrial processes. Impressive advantages in enzyme catalysts improvement have occurred in recent years aiming to improve their performance under harsh operation conditions far away from those of their cellular habitat. Production levels of the winemaking industry have experienced a remarkable increase, and technological innovations have been introduced for increasing the efficiency at different process steps or for improving wine quality, which is a key issue in this industry. Enzymes, such as pectinases and proteases, have been traditionally used, and others, such as glycosidases, have been more recently introduced in the modern wine industry, and many dedicated studies refer to the improvement of enzyme performance under winemaking conditions. Within this framework, a thorough review on the role of enzymes in winemaking is presented, with special emphasis on the use of immobilized enzymes as a significant strategy for catalyst improvement within an industry in which enzymes play important roles that are to be reinforced paralleling innovation.

Synthesis of Butyl-ß-D-Galactoside in the Ternary System: Acetone/1-Butanol/Aqueous Solution.

The enzymatic synthesis of short-tailed alkyl glucosides is generally carried out in an aqueous-organic biphasic reaction medium with a rather low fatty alcohol concentration in the aqueous phase (where the synthesis occurs). Thus, hydrolytic reactions have a significant impact on the synthesis performance. Given this background, the use of acetone as cosolvent was studied for the synthesis of butyl-ß-galactoside with Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase. The liquid-liquid equilibrium of the reaction mixture components (acetone/1-butanol/aqueous solution) was determined and the single- and two-phase regions were defined at 30, 40, and 50°C. It was observed that the liquid-liquid equilibrium of the ternary system acetone/1-butanol/water differs significantly from the one obtained using an aqueous solution (50 mM McIlvaine buffer pH 4.5; 5 g L-1) instead of water. This is mainly because of the salting-out effect of the buffer; nevertheless, the presence of lactose also altered the equilibrium. Having this in mind, the effects of temperature (30 and 50°C) and reaction mixture composition were assessed. Three general conditions were evaluated: single-phase ternary system (30% acetone), two-phase ternary system (10% acetone) and two-phase binary system (0% acetone). Acetone had a deleterious effect on enzyme stability at 50°C, leading to low reaction yields. However, no enzyme deactivation was detected at 30°C. Moreover, a reaction yield of 0.98 mol mol-1 was attained in the 30/50/20% (w/w) mixture of acetone/1-butanol/aqueous solution. This very high yield can be explained by the huge increase in the concentration of 1-butanol and the reduction of water activity. The synthesis was carried out using also the ß-galactosidase immobilized in glyoxal-agarose and amino-glyoxal-agarose, and by aggregation and crosslinking. In the case of agarose-derived catalysts, two average particle diameters were assessed to evaluate the presence of internal mass transfer limitations. Best yield (0.88 mol mol-1) was obtained with glyoxal-agarose derivatives and the particle size had non-effect on yield. The chemical structure of butyl-ß-galactoside was determined by NMR and FT-IR.

Synthesis of Lactulose in Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor With ß-Galactosidase of Apergillus oryzae Immobilized in Monofunctional Glyoxyl Agarose Support.

Lactulose synthesis from fructose and lactose in continuous stirred tank (CSTR) reactor operation with glyoxyl-agarose immobilized Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase is reported for the first time. The effect of operational variables: inlet concentrations of sugar substrates, temperature, feed substrate molar ratio, enzyme loading and feed flow rate was studied on reactor performance. Even though the variation of each one affected to a certain extent lactulose yield (Y Lactulose ), specific productivity (π Lactulose ) and selectivity of the reaction (lactulose/transgalactosylated oligosaccharides molar ratio) (S Lu/TOS ), the most significant effects were obtained by varying the inlet concentrations of sugar substrates and the feed substrate molar ratio. Maximum Y Lactulose of 0.54 g⋅g-1 was obtained at 50°C, pH 4.5, 50% w/w inlet concentrations of sugar substrates, feed flowrate of 12 mL⋅min-1, fructose/lactose molar ratio of 8 and reactor enzyme load of 29.06 IU H ⋅mL-1. At such conditions S Lu/TOS was 3.7, lactose conversion (X Lactose ) was 0.39 and total transgalactosylation yield was 0.762 g⋅g-1, meaning that 76% of the reacted lactose corresponded to transgalactosylation and 24% to hydrolysis, which is a definite advantage of this mode of operation. Even though X Lactose in CSTR was lower than in other reported modes of operation for lactulose synthesis, transgalactosylation was more favored over hydrolysis which reduced the inhibitory effect of galactose on ß-galactosidase.

Entrapment of enzyme aggregates in chitosan beads for aroma release in white wines.

Glycosidases are enzymes involved in the cascade reactions leading to the release of aromatic compounds in white wines. However, the use of commercial soluble glycosidases is facing difficulties due to their fast inactivation, poor reaction control, low efficiency of enzyme use, and the presence of catalyst residues in the product. Co-immobilization as cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) is a sound alternative allowing the immobilization of enzymes in their own protein matrix, yielding highly stable and active biocatalysts. Notwithstanding, their micrometer sized particles limit their application in industrial processes. To overcome this, combi-CLEAs of ß-D-glucosidase (ßG) and α-L-arabinofuranosidase (ARA) were entrapped in polymeric chitosan beads. The effect of crosslinking reagents and crosslinking time on the specific activity and stability of combi-CLEAs was studied, and the best conditions for the entrapment of the combi-CLEAs in polymeric chitosan beads were determined varying the concentration of the chitosan solution and the pH of the gelation agent solution. The resulting biocatalyst beads (average diameter 1.24 mm), retained full activity after 91 days of incubation under winemaking conditions, having specific activities of 0.91 and 0.88 international units of activity per gram for ßG and ARA, respectively. Such characteristics make them suitable for aroma enhancement in wines.

Parameters for the Evaluation of Immobilized Enzymes Under Process Conditions.

The characterization of immobilized enzymes allows the evaluation of the immobilization process itself and also the projection of the immobilized enzyme performance under process operation conditions. Based on such characterization, strategies for support functionalization and enzyme immobilization into the activated support can be selected, determining the best conditions for conducting such steps in view of the intended use of the biocatalyst, establishing a linkage between biocatalyst production and biocatalyst use. The determination of the catalytic potential of the immobilized enzyme under operational conditions is a priceless parameter that takes into account both activity and stability, including the effect of both mass transfer limitations (diffusional restrictions) and intrinsic enzyme inactivation upon the immobilization process.

Conventional and non-conventional applications of ß-galactosidases.

ß-Galactosidase is one of the most important industrial enzymes, that has been used for many decades in the dairy industry. The main application of ß-galactosidase is related to the production of low-lactose and lactose-free milk and dairy products, which are now common consumer goods in supermarket shelves. This is a well-established market that is expected to keep on growing as these products become more accessible to mid-income people worldwide. However, a fresh air has come into the ß-galactosidase business as non-conventional applications arose in recent decades based on its transgalactosylation activity. This capacity is certainly a major asset for a commodity enzyme that can be used now as a catalyst for the upgrading of readily available and cheap lactose into high added-value glycosides in processes of organic synthesis in tune with green chemistry principles within the framework of sustainability. This is a reflection of a paradigm shift, where enzymes are now being considered as apt catalysts for the synthesis of valuable organic compounds. This article reviews the main applications of ß-galactosidase, going from its conventional use related to its hydrolytic activity to the ongoing non-conventional applications in the synthesis of high added-value oligosaccharides based on its transgalactosylation activity.

Improvements in the production of Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase crosslinked aggregates and their use in repeated-batch synthesis of lactulose.

Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase was immobilized by aggregation and crosslinking, obtaining catalysts (CLAGs) well-endowed for lactulose synthesis. Type and concentration of the precipitating agent were determinants of immobilization yield, specific activity and thermal stability. CLAGs with specific activities of 64,007, 48,374 and 44,560 IUH g-1 were obtained using 50% v/v methanol, ethanol and propanol as precipitating agents respectively, with immobilization yields over 90%. Lactulose synthesis was conducted at 50 °C, pH 4.5, 50% w/w total sugars, 200 IUH g-1 of enzyme and fructose/lactose molar ratio of 8 in batch and repeated-batch operation. Lactulose yields were 0.19 g g-1 and 0.24 g g-1 for fructose to lactose molar ratios of 4 mol mol-1 and 8 mol mol-1 while selectivities were 3.3 mol mol-1 and 6.6 mol mol-1 respectively for CLAGs obtained by ethanol and propanol precipitation. Based on these results, both CLAGs were selected for the synthesis in repeated-batch mode. The cumulative mass of lactulose in repeated-batch was higher with CLAGs produced by ethanol and propanol precipitation than with the free enzyme. 86 and 93 repeated-batches could have been respectively performed with those CLAGs considering a catalyst replacement criterion of 50% of residual activity, as determined by simulation.

Synthesis with Immobilized Lipases and Downstream Processing of Ascorbyl Palmitate.

Ascorbyl palmitate is a fatty acid ester endowed with antioxidant properties, used as a food additive and cosmetic ingredient, which is presently produced by chemical synthesis. Ascorbyl palmitate was synthesized from ascorbic acid and palmitic acid with a Pseudomonas stutzeri lipase immobilized on octyl silica, and also with the commercial immobilized lipase Novozym 435. The latter was selected for optimizing the reaction conditions because of its high reactivity and stability in the solvent 2-methyl-2-butanol used as reaction medium. The reaction of the synthesis was studied considering temperature and molar ratio of substrates as variables and synthesis yield as response parameter. The highest yield in the synthesis of ascorbyl palmitate was 81%, obtained at 55 °C and an ascorbic acid to palmitic acid molar ratio of 1:8, both variables having a strong effect on yield. The synthesized ascorbyl palmitate was purified to 94.4%, with a purification yield of 84.2%. The use of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) certified solvents with a polarity suitable for the solubilization of the compounds made the process a viable alternative for the synthesis and downstream processing of ascorbyl palmitate.

Design of combined crosslinked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) of ß-galactosidase and glucose isomerase for the one-pot production of fructose syrup from lactose.

A new bi-enzymatic catalyst has been produced by precipitation and crosslinking (combi-CLEAs) of ß-galactosidase and glucose isomerase for catalyzing the cascade reactions of lactose conversion into fructose, producing a lactose-fructose syrup (LFS). Glucose isomerase was chemically aminated to increase its reactive surface groups for favour the crosslinking step. The effect of ß-galactosidase to glucose isomerase activity ratio and glutaraldehyde to protein mass ratio in combi-CLEAs production was evaluated. The selected combi-catalyst was successfully used in the production of fructose syrup from lactose in a single reaction vessel. The biocatalyst could be used at least in five sequential batches of LFS production, remaining fully stable after a total of 50 h of reaction, obtaining a product of constant quality. A robust bi-enzymatic catalyst was produced that can be repeatedly used in LFS production, an attractive mild sweetener for the dairy food industry.

Continuous enzymatic synthesis of lactulose in packed-bed reactor with immobilized Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase.

Lactulose synthesis from fructose and lactose in continuous packed-bed reactor operation with glyoxyl-agarose immobilized Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase is reported for the first time. Alternative strategies to conventional batch synthesis have been scarcely explored for lactulose synthesis. The effect of flow rate, substrates ratio and biocatalyst-inert packing material mass ratio (MB/MIM) were studied on reactor performance. Increase in any of these variables produced an increase in lactulose yield (YLu) being higher than obtained in batch synthesis at comparable conditions. Maximum YLu of 0.6 g·g-1 was obtained at 50 °C, pH 4.5, 50% w/w total sugars, 15 mL·min-1, fructose/lactose molar ratio of 12 and MB/MIM of 1/8 g·g-1; at such conditions yield of transgalactosylated oligosaccharides (YTOS) was 0.16 g·g-1, selectivity (lactulose/TOS molar ratio) was 5.4 and lactose conversion (XLactose) was 28%. Reactor operation with recycle had no significant effect on yield, producing only some decrease in productivity.

ß-Galactosidase from Exiguobacterium acetylicum: Cloning, expression, purification and characterization.

The main goal of this work was to evaluate the performance of ß-galactosidase from Exiguobacterium acetylicum MF03 in both hydrolysis and transgalactosylation reactions from different substrates. The enzyme gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), sequenced, and subjected to bioinformatic and kinetic assessment. Results showed that the enzyme was able to hydrolyze lactulose and o-nitrophenyl-ß-d-galactopyranoside, but unable to hydrolyze lactose, o-nitrophenyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside, butyl- and pentyl-ß-d-galactosides. This unique and novel substrate specificity converts the E. acetylicum MF03 ß-galactosidase into an ideal catalyst for the formulation of an enzymatic kit for lactulose quantification in thermally processed milk. This is because costly steps to eliminate glucose (resulting from hydrolysis of lactose when a customary ß-galactosidase is used) can be avoided.

Co-immobilized ß-galactosidase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells for the simultaneous synthesis and purification of galacto-oligosaccharides.

Simultaneous synthesis and purification (SSP) of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from lactose was conducted using a combi-biocatalyst formed by crosslinked enzyme aggregates of Aspergillus oryzae ß-galactosidase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells co-immobilized by entrapment in calcium alginate gel particles. Product yield obtained with the combi-biocatalyst was similar than obtained with the soluble enzyme (23.3%), having a final purity of 25.7%. During the simultaneous process, ethyl-ß-galactoside was produced from the ethanol generated as a metabolic product of yeast cells, but ethyl-ß-galactoside was considerably decreased at high aeration (4 vvm). The combi-biocatalyst can be recovered and reused but its performance is limited by the reduction of the metabolic capacity of the cells. In this way, a process was developed for the SSP of GOS from lactose, obtaining a comparable product yield and higher specific productivity than in a conventional synthesis.