Stability of soybean peroxidase immobilized onto hydrogel micro-beads from tyramine-pectin

Abstract

The application of enzymes for phenol removal from polluted waters is an effective and environmentally favorable method and an ongoing worldwide research topic. Oxidoreductive enzymes, like Soybean peroxidase (SBP), catalyze oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds in the presence of H2O2. The industrial application, however, requires enzyme immobilization on various carriers to overcome the disadvantages of using the soluble form. Chemically modified pectin has been chosen as a carrier for entrapment of SBP inside a threedimensional polymeric network. Immobilization of SBP was performed in an emulsion polymerization reaction producing enzymes entrapped in covalently crosslinked tyramine-pectin in the shape of micro-beads. The specific activity of immobilized SBP was determined using pyrogallol as a substrate. In this study, the stability of the immobilized SBP onto modified pectin in three different molar ratios was tested to determine the carrier with the best performance. Immobilized peroxidase has potential for application as a biocatalyst for phenol removal from wastewater.