Comparative study on chemical pretreatments to accelerate enzymatic hydrolysis of aquatic macrophyte biomass used in water purification processes

In this study, enzymatic hydrolysis of two floating aquatic plants which are suitable for water purification, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.), was performed to produce sugars. Twenty chemical pretreatments were comparatively examined in order to improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. As a result, the alkaline/oxidative (A/O) pretreatment, in which sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide were used, was the most effective pretreatment in terms of improving enzymatic hydrolysis of the leaves of water hyacinth and water lettuce. The amount of reducing sugars in enzymatic hydrolysate of water lettuce leaves was 1.8 times higher than that of water hyacinth leaves, therefore water lettuce seems to be more attractive as a biomass resource than water hyacinth. Although roots of these plants contained large amounts of polysaccharides such as cellulose and hemicellulose, they generated less monosaccharides than from leaves, no matter which chemical pretreatment was tested.     

黑水虻幼虫蛋白及其酶解产物的抗氧化活性研究

为了探究黑水虻Hermetia illucens幼虫蛋白及酶解产物的抗氧化活性,以鲜活黑水虻幼虫冻虫为原料,采用碱提酸沉法提取黑水虻蛋白,通过碱性蛋白酶、菠萝蛋白酶、风味蛋白酶、木瓜蛋白酶对其蛋白质溶液进行酶解,分别从2,2′-联氮-双-3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸（ABTS）自由基、羟自由基、1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼（DPPH）自由基3个方面对黑水虻蛋白及其酶解液的抗氧化能力进行测定。结果表明：黑水虻幼虫蛋白及4种酶解后的蛋白肽具有较好的抗氧化活性,其中黑水虻幼虫蛋白对ABTS自由基、羟自由基、DPPH自由基的半抑制浓度（IC50）分别为2.91、0.232、0.764 mg/mL,而酶解过后的蛋白肽具有更强的抗氧化活性,对ABTS自由基、羟自由基、DPPH自由基的最低半抑制浓度（IC50）分别为0.295、0.082、0.354 mg/mL。本研究初步证明了酶解制备抗氧化肽的可行性,为昆虫蛋白资源的利用和无抗饲料的研制提供了新的研究思路。     

The enzymatic activity from the sediment of the Gilau dam reservoir - Cluj county

The enzymological studies on the sediment of the accumulation lake that has the main purpose of supplying drinking water to the city of Cluj-Napoca and the nearby villages, were aimed at the comprehensive understanding of the complex processes that happen in these habitats of special significance. In the sediment samples the following enzymatic activities have been quantitatively determined: phosphatase, actual and potential dehydrogenase, catalase, urease and protease. Non-enzymatic catalytic activity was also measured. Based on the relative values for the enzymatic activities, the enzymatic indicator of the sediment quality (EISQ) was calculated (ranging from 0.1 to 0.7). The enzymatic activities have been qualitatively determined for maltase, saccharase, lactase, cellobiase, amylase, dextranase, levanase, cellulase and inulinase. The correlation between the enzymatic and bacteriologic potential was statistically calculated.     

Prokaryotic extracellular enzymatic activity in relation to biomass production and respiration in the meso- and bathypelagic waters of the (sub)tropical Atlantic

Prokaryotic extracellular enzymatic activity, abundance, heterotrophic production and respiration were determined in the meso- and bathypelagic (sub)tropical North Atlantic. While prokaryotic heterotrophic production (PHP) decreased from the lower euphotic layer to the bathypelagic waters by two orders of magnitude, prokaryotic abundance and cell-specific PHP decreased only by one order of magnitude. In contrast to cell-specific PHP, cell-specific extracellular enzymatic activity (alpha- and beta-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, alkaline phosphatase) increased with depth as did cell-specific respiration rates. Cell-specific alkaline phosphatase activity increased from the intermediate water masses to the deep waters up to fivefold. Phosphate concentrations, however, varied only by a factor of two between the different water masses, indicating that phosphatase activity is not related to phosphate availability in the deep waters. Generally, cell-specific extracellular enzymatic activities were inversely related to cell-specific prokaryotic leucine incorporation. Thus, it is apparent that the utilization of deep ocean organic matter is linked to higher cell-specific extracellular enzymatic activity and respiration and lower cell-specific PHP than in surface waters.     

Changes in activity coefficient gamma(w) of water and the foaming capacity of protein during hydrolysis

The changes in the interaction between food proteins and water and in their surface functional property during enzymatic hydrolysis were investigated. Ovalbumin, a soy protein isolate (SPI), and casein were hydrolyzed with trypsin, and the degree of hydrolysis, water activity a(w), and foaming capacity of each hydrolysate were measured. Ovalbumin showed the minimum value for a(w), and the values for SPI and casein progressively decreased during hydrolysis. Therefore, the activity coefficient of water, gamma(w) (=a(w)/x(w), where x(w) is the mole fraction of water) was obtained to remove the influence of mole change and to examine the interaction of protein hydrolysates with water. In order to calculate x(w) in a sample during protein hydrolysis, a method for roughly estimating the number of moles of the protein hydrolysate in a solution was developed. The strategy was to modify the TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid) method and to combine this method with the modified Ellman method and the determination of lysine by an amino acid analyzer. During enzymatic hydrolysis, each protein sample showed a minimum gamma(w) value and maximum foaming capacity.     

从罗汉果渣中提取水不溶性膳食纤维的研究

采用化学法、酶法、酶与化学结合法从罗汉果渣中提取水不溶性膳食纤维,并且对三种提取方法所得的水不溶性膳食纤维产品特性进行了分析比较。研究结果表明,采用酶与化学结合法提取到的水不溶性膳食纤维产品纯度最高、生理活性最好,产率为87.15％,蛋白质含量为2.03％,持水力与膨胀力分别为3.807 g·g-1和1.69 mL·g-1。但从成本和实用方面考虑,还是以化学法为宜。     

Reaction Kinetics of Immobilized α-Chymotrypsin in Organic Media 1. Influence at Solvent Polarity

Esterification of N-acetyl phenylalanine with ethanol catalyzed by immobilized α-chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) was studied in various reaction media. The effect of reaction medium polarity on enzymatic activity as well as equilibrium yield was measured. The reaction rate increased with increasing amounts of added water, reaching an optimum corresponding to water saturation of the reaction medium. Further additions of water resulted in decreased activity. Bell-shaped activity profiles were obtained for all reaction media tested. Reaction media consisting of pure solvents and of mixtures of solvents were used. The enzymatic activity and the equilibrium yield increased with decreased polarity of the medium. Maximum activity was found in a reaction medium consisting of 80% diisopropyl ether and 20% heptane. The enzymatic activity obtained at optimal water additions in the different solvents and solvents mixtures could be correlated to the solubility of water and the log P of the medium. The equilibrium yield of the reaction was much more closely correlated to the solubility of water than the log P. Much lower enzymatic activity was obtained when solvent mixtures producing water-miscible media were created, than in mixtures producing water-immiscible media, such as mixtures of acetonitrile and diisopropyl ether. The equilibrium yield could be increased by decreasing the water content in the reaction medium, which reduced the water activity.     

超声波协同复合酶法提取姬松茸多糖

研究了超声波协同复合酶法提取姬松茸多糖的最佳工艺条件。采用均匀设计法分别考察不同时间、pH值、温度、酶浓度、固液比对纤维素酶、果胶酶以及木瓜蛋白酶酶解反应的影响,并研究三种酶联合使用时的加酶方式以及超声波协同提取时的最佳条件。结果表明,超声波协同复合酶法可显著提高姬松茸多糖的提取率,其最佳提取条件为：超声波作用20min,分步加酶法（先加果胶酶：pH值3．8、温度50℃、时间90min、加酶量7000U／g、固液比1：45;然后加纤维素酶：pH值3．6、温度75℃、时间120min、加酶量150U／g、固液比1：45;最后加木瓜蛋白酶：pH值3．6、温度75℃、时间120min、加酶量20000U／g、固液比1：45）,多糖提取率达到14．51％。     

Working at controlled water activity in a continuous process: the gas/solid system as a solution

Fusarium solani cutinase and Candida cylindracea lipase were used to catalyze a transesterification reaction in a continuous gas/solid bioreactor. In this system, a solid phase composed of a packed enzymatic preparation was continuously percolated with carrier gas which fed substrate and removed reaction products simultaneously. Different conditions of immobilization were used and compared to the results obtained with a nonsupported enzyme. The enzymatic activity was found to be highly dependent of a key parameter: water activity (a(w)). Biocatalyst stability was greatly influenced by water activity and the choice of immobilization technique for the enzymatic material. For free and adsorbed enzymes, water requirements exhibited optima which corresponded to the complete hydration coverage of the protein. These optima presented a good correlation with the isotherm sorption curves obtained for the different preparations. In this work are reported the results concerning the possibility of using a continuous system able to operate at controlled water activity in a heterogeneous medium. Lipolytic enzyme in such a system appears to be a new process for the biotransformation of volatile esters. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Monoterpene cyclases: use of the noncyclizable substrate analog 6,7-dihydrogeranyl pyrophosphate to uncouple the isomerization step of the coupled isomerization-cyclization reaction

Enzymes from Salvia officinalis capable of catalyzing the isomerization and subsequent cyclization of geranyl pyrophosphate to the monoterpenes (+)-alpha-pinene and (+)-bornyl pyrophosphate were examined with the noncyclizable substrate analog 6,7-dihydrogeranyl pyrophosphate in an attempt to dissect the cryptic isomerization step from the normally coupled reaction sequence. The analog inhibited the cyclization of geranyl pyrophosphate and was itself catalytically active, affording acyclic terpene olefins and alcohols as products. The enzymatic products generated from 6,7-dihydrogeranyl pyrophosphate qualitatively resembled the solvolysis products of 6,7-dihydrolinalyl pyrophosphate, yet they constituted a far higher proportion of olefins, suggesting that enzymatic product formation occurs in an environment relatively inaccessible to water. Since the normal cyclization of geranyl pyrophosphate is considered to proceed via preliminary isomerization to the bound tertiary intermediate (3R)-linalyl pyrophosphate, the results suggest that the analog undergoes the normal pyrophosphate ionization-migration step, giving rise in this case to (3R)-6,7-dihydrolinalyl pyrophosphate which is reionized, and because the subsequent cyclizations are precluded, the resulting cation is either deprotonated or captured by water. In divalent metal ion requirement, pH optimum, and other characteristics, the enzymatic transformation of the analog resembles the normal monoterpene cyclase reaction.     

Study of the Stability Of Vaccinium myrtillus Peroxidase in Reverse Micellar Systems

The stability of a cationic peroxidase isolated and purified from a cell suspension of Vaccinium myrtillus, microencapsulated in reverse micelles of sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate (AOT) was evaluated. By using a central composite design (CCD), some relevant parameters for the enzymatic activity, such as surfactant and water concentration, pH and buffer molarity, were analysed. The response surface curves showed that 50 mM AOT, 500 mM water, 80 mM buffer and pH 7.6 were the best conditions for enzyme stability. The effect of carbohydrates and polyols on enzyme stability was also evaluated. At 20 mM, carbohydrates like arabinose, and trehalose increased the enzymatic stability by a factor of 4.4 and 2.3, respectively, but melezitose had no effect. From the three polyols tested, inositol and sorbitol increased the peroxidase stability by a factor of 3.8 and 1.8, respectively, while mannitol had no effect.     

Study of the Stability Of Vaccinium myrtillus Peroxidase in Reverse Micellar Systems

The stability of a cationic peroxidase isolated and purified from a cell suspension of Vaccinium myrtillus , microencapsulated in reverse micelles of sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate (AOT) was evaluated. By using a central composite design (CCD), some relevant parameters for the enzymatic activity, such as surfactant and water concentration, pH and buffer molarity, were analysed. The response surface curves showed that 50 mM AOT, 500 mM water, 80 mM buffer and pH 7.6 were the best conditions for enzyme stability. The effect of carbohydrates and polyols on enzyme stability was also evaluated. At 20 mM, carbohydrates like arabinose, and trehalose increased the enzymatic stability by a factor of 4.4 and 2.3, respectively, but melezitose had no effect. From the three polyols tested, inositol and sorbitol increased the peroxidase stability by a factor of 3.8 and 1.8, respectively, while mannitol had no effect.     

Effect of periodic high-frequency vibration with rigid spheres added on high solids enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded corn straw

The periodic low-frequency force can improve mixing efficiency and reduce water constraint, thus intensifying the high solids enzymatic hydrolysis. However, the availability of intensification methods for the periodic force with different frequencies needs to be studied. The periodic high-frequency vibration with rigid spheres added as another intensification method was proposed to shorten the time of water constraint and improve efficiency. Within this study, glucan and xylan conversions in periodic high-frequency vibration with rigid spheres added enzymatic hydrolysis (PVEH) increased by 8.3%-35% and 5.0%-33.5%, respectively, with solid loading increasing from 15% to 25%, compared with those in static state enzymatic hydrolysis (SEH). The physical properties variations of substrate indirectly proved the higher efficiency of PVEH. Based on the change regularity of constrained water release, PVEH was divided into three stages. The effects of micromixing and macromixing in three stages were analyzed. Additionally, the efficiency of high solids enzymatic hydrolysis can be enhanced by using proper intensification methods in different stages.     

Inactivation and stabilization of stabilisins in neat organic solvents

The stability of the serine proteases from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (subtillisin BPN') and Bacillus licheniformis (subtilisin Carlsberg) was investigated in various anhydrous solvents at 45 degrees C. The half-life of subtilisin BPN' in dimethyl-formamide dramatically depends on the pH of the aqueous solutions from which the enzyme was lyophilized, increasing from 48 min to 20 h when the pH is raised from 6.0 to 7.9. Both subtilisins exhibited substantial inactivation during multihour incubations in tert-amyl alcohol and acetonitrile when enzymatic activities were also measured in these solvents; however, when the enzymes were assayed in water instead, hardly any loss of activity was detected. This surprising difference appears to stem from the partitioning of the bound water essential for catalytic activity from the enzymes into the solvents. When assayed in organic solvents, this time-dependent stripping of water results in decay of enzymatic activity; however, when assayed in water, where the dehydrated subtilisins can undergo rehydration thereby recovering catalytic activity, little inactivation is observed. In agreement with this hypothesis, the addition of small quantities of water tert-amyl alcohol stabilized the subtilisins in it even when enzymatic activity was measured in the nonaqueous solvent. Ester substrates (vinyl butyrate and trichloroethyl butyrate) greatly enhanced the stability of both subtilisins in organic solvents possibly because of the formation of the acyl-enzymes.     

Enzymatic dipeptide synthesis by surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes in supercritical carbon dioxide

Enzymatic dipeptide synthesis by surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes was performed in supercritical CO(2) and liquid CO(2) at 308.2 and 333.2 K at pressures of 6.1 and 10.1 MPa. The enzymatic activity of coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes for dipeptides synthesis at 10.1 MPa in supercritical CO(2) (SC-CO(2)) was higher than that in a liquid CO(2) and ethyl acetate solution at 6.1 MPa. The behavior of alpha-chymotrypsin in SC-CO(2) was similar to that in liquid ethyl acetate. And increasing the pressure and temperature increased the maximum conversion and the enzymatic reaction rate in SC-CO(2). Furthermore, the control of the water content in the reaction media had a dominant effect on the enzymatic activity. The maximum conversion for the dipeptide synthesis by the surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin was obtained at 4% water content. The alpha-chymotrypsin complexes exhibited a higher enzymatic activity than native alpha-chymotrypsin in SC-CO(2). The nonionic surfactants l-glutamic acid dialkyl ester ribitol amide and sorbitan monostearate were more favored than the anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate.     

Effect of the degree of acetylation of chitosan on its enzymatic hydrolysis with the preparation Celloviridin G20x

The degree of acetylation exerted only insignificant effects on the enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan, while affecting the composition of the resulting hydrolysates and their water solubility. Chitosan with various degrees of acetylation was produced by reacetylation of the original chitosan (the solvents, methanol and 2% acetic acid, were present at a ratio of 54:51 v/v; the amount of acetic anhydride was in the range 0.1-2.0 mmol per 1 g chitosan). Hydrolysis by the enzymatic preparation Celloviridin G20x was performed at the enzyme to substrate ratio of 1:400 in sodium-acetate buffer, pH 5.2 (55 degrees C) for 1 h.     

New routes to the synthesis of amylose-block-polystyrene rod-coil block copolymers

Hybrid block copolymers amylose-block-polystyrene were synthesized by covalent attachment of maltoheptaose derivatives to end-functionalized polystyrene and subsequent enzymatic grafting from polymerization. The maltoheptaose derivatives were attached by reductive amination or hydrosilation to amino- or SiH-terminated polystyrene (synthesized by anionic polymerization), respectively. The enzymatic polymerization could be started even though the primer-modified polystyrenes were insoluble in the medium of polymerization, i.e., citrate buffer. The polymerization kinetics show an interesting dependence on the molecular weight of polystyrene due to the micellar structure of the primer in water.     

Flow cytometric analysis of bacterial respiratory and enzymatic activity in the natural aquatic environment

The respiratory and enzymatic activity of bacteria in polluted and unpolluted river water was investigated by flow cytometry. Double staining with 6CFDA (6-carboxy fluorescein diacetate) and PI (propidium iodide) was used to examine bacterial esterase activity. CTC (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride) was employed as the indicator of bacterial respiration. The ratios of colony-forming units to total bacterial number were less than 2%, except highly polluted sites. The number of respiring bacteria determined by flow cytometry amounted to 10–15% of the total bacterial number at both unpolluted and polluted sampling stations, while it was 30% at the highly polluted station. Almost 50% of total bacteria demonstrated esterase activity in the unpolluted areas, whereas 70–90% of total bacteria retained this enzymatic activity in the polluted areas. Thus, many of the non-culturable bacteria in the natural aquatic environment have enzymatic activity regardless of the pollution level, and 6CFDA was more superior in the sensitivity for the evaluation of physiological activity of bacteria in the natural environment. The ratio of bacteria with esterase activity increased in direct proportion to the pollution level of river water and suggested that this ratio would be a useful indicator in evaluating the pollution levels in an aquatic environment.     

Enzymatic ester synthesis with continuous measurement of water activity

Ester synthesis from aliphatic monoalcohols and organic acids was investigated by using a microbial lipase. The reaction medium only contained the substrates and the enzyme without addition of water or organic solvent. During the reaction, water was produced and the water activity (aw) increased. Batch reactors and continuous-flow reactors were used. In batch, the aw was 0.13 at the beginning of the reaction and increased to reach a plateau at 0.77, after which ester synthesis continued without modification of the aw. Different alcohols and acids were tried in solid-liquid reactors, and all cases synthesis occurred, leading to a significant increase in the water activity. For continuous-flow reactors, the use of silica beads retaining water inside the reactor where the enzymatic reaction took place resulted in some control of the enzymatic reaction by changing the aw.     

Effect of the Degree of Acetylation of Chitosan on Its Enzymatic Hydrolysis with the Preparation Celloviridin G20kh

The degree of acetylation was shown to exert only insignificant effects on the enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan, while affecting the composition of the resulting hydrolysates and their water solubility. Chitosan with various degrees of acetylation was produced by reacetylation of the initial chitosan (the solvents, methanol and 2% acetic acid, were present in a ratio of 54 : 51 v/v; the amount of acetic anhydride was in the range 0.1–2.0 mmol per gram chitosan). Hydrolysis by the enzymatic preparation Celloviridin G20kh was performed at an enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 1 : 400 in sodium–acetate buffer, pH 5.2 (55°C) for 1 h.