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A study on enzymatic reaction using a liquid emulsion membrane technique
Author(s) -
Ha Heung Yong,
Hong SeongAhn
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260390202
Subject(s) - emulsion , membrane , chemistry , chromatography , pulmonary surfactant , phase (matter) , solvent , hydrolysis , chymotrypsin , chemical engineering , enzyme , organic chemistry , biochemistry , trypsin , engineering
Abstract An enzymatic reaction using a liquid emulsion membrane technique was studied to investigate the effects of some experimental variables on the stability of liquid membrane, enzyme deactivation, and transport of substrates and products. The hydrolysis of L ‐phenylalanine methyl ester by α‐chymotrypsin was selected as a model reaction system. First, a transport mechanism for the substrates and products across the membrane was qualitatively identified. Second, it was found that the pH of the internal phase was one of the most important variables to determine the enzyme activity in a liquid membrane. Third, the effect of membrane phase which consists of surfactant, carrier, and organic solvent on the emulsion stability was investigated. It was found that the properties of the organic solvents greatly affect the emulsion stability. For an optimum condition, it was possible to reuse the emulsion which consists of membrane phase and internal phase without further separation. It was finally concluded that the enzyme in a liquid membrane retained 60% of its native activity in spite of vigorous mixing during the emulsification step.