Chemically modified alginate bead matrix for efficient adsorptive recovery of trypsin from fresh bovine pancreas.

The adsorption of commercial trypsin (Try) onto epichlorohydrin cross-linked alginate-guar gum matrix has been studied at equilibrium in batch and in fixed bed column. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of ionic strength, temperature and to obtain a thermodynamic characterization of the adsorption process. The resulting adsorption isotherm fitted the Hill equation. Experimental breakthrough curve profiles were compared with the theoretical breakthrough profiles obtained from the mathematical model, bed depth service time. At pH 5.0, 1.0 g hydrated matrix adsorbed 480.0 milligram of Try per gram of dried bed. The desorption process showed 80% of Try recovery in 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.00-500 mM NaCl-20% propylene glycol. The obtained results were applied to an adsorption/washing/desorption process with fresh pancreas homogenate yielded 20% of recovery and 5.7 purification factor of Try. The matrix remained functional until the fifth cycle of repeated batch enzyme adsorption. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2018.

Comparison of soybean hull pre-treatments to obtain cellulose and chemical derivatives: Physical chemistry characterization.

The cellulose from soybean hull, a waste without value from the argentine agriculture, was successfully obtained by using two different treatments: the traditional alkaline-bleaching pathway and from a simple pre-alkaline treatment at low temperatures. The comparison of both methods yielded similar results regarding its ability to open the lignin cellulosic structure of the hull and the total elimination of the lignin content. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-RMN) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the structures and the properties of cellulose. The results showed that cellulose can be easily obtained with just an alkaline pre-treatment of 5% (w/v) NaOH during 40 h at 50 °C and free of any lignin content. The attachment of different functional groups, such as -COOH and (CH3)3N+, changed the physicochemical properties of the obtained cellulose, showing mayor crystalline structure, and consequently modifying the swelling capacity and its ability to adsorb model proteins.

Control of the adsorption properties of alginate - guar gum matrix functionalized with epichlorohydrin through the addition of different flexible chain polymers as toll for the chymotrypsinogen isolation.

This work addresses the obtaining and characterization of alginate-guar gum matrix, cross-linked with epichlorohydrin in the presence of different flexible chain polymers: polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidine and Pluronic® F68. These matrixes were used for the adsorption of chymotrypsinogen and showed an increasing uptake in presence of the flexible chain polymer in the sense: none < Pluronic 68 < polyvinyl pyrrolidine < polyvinyl alcohol. The adsorption process was found to follow a first order kinetics model and was not influenced by the polymer type. It was found that Freundlich model was more suitable for our data. Polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidine addition increase the adsorption capacity of the original bed due to an increment in the rigidity of the gel caused by the formation of hydrogen bound between the polysaccharides and synthetics polymers.

Application of Fluorescence Emission for Characterization of Albendazole and Ricobendazole Micellar Systems: Elucidation of the Molecular Mechanism of Drug Solubilization Process.

Albendazole (ABZ) and ricobendazole (RBZ) are referred to as class II compounds in the Biopharmaceutical Classification System. These drugs exhibit poor solubility, which profoundly affects their oral bioavailability. Micellar systems are excellent pharmaceutical tools to enhance solubilization and absorption of poorly soluble compounds. Polysorbate 80 (P80), poloxamer 407 (P407), sodium cholate (Na-C), and sodium deoxycholate (Na-DC) have been selected as surfactants to study the solubilization process of these drugs. Fluorescence emission was applied in order to obtain surfactant/fluorophore (S/F) ratio, critical micellar concentration, protection efficiency of micelles, and thermodynamic parameters. Systems were characterized by their size and zeta potential. A blue shift from 350 to 345 nm was observed when ABZ was included in P80, Na-DC, and Na-C micelles, while RBZ showed a slight change in the fluorescence band. P80 showed a significant solubilization capacity: S/F values were 688 for ABZ at pH 4 and 656 for RBZ at pH 6. Additionally, P80 micellar systems presented the smallest size (10 nm) and their size was not affected by pH change. S/F ratio for bile salts was tenfold higher than for the other surfactants. Quenching plots were linear and their constant values (2.17/M for ABZ and 2.29/M for RBZ) decreased with the addition of the surfactants, indicating a protective effect of the micelles. Na-DC showed better protective efficacy for ABZ and RBZ than the other surfactants (constant values 0.54 and 1.57/M, respectively), showing the drug inclusion into the micelles. Entropic parameters were negative in agreement with micelle formation.

Molecular mechanism of lysozyme adsorption onto chemically modified alginate guar gum matrix.

The equilibrium isotherms and adsorption kinetics of lysozyme (LZ) on epichlorohydrin (Epi) cross-linked alginate-guar gum (Alg-GG) matrix were studied. Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model while the equilibrium isotherm could be represented by the Freundlich equation. The maximal amount of LZ adsorbed onto this matrix was around 2.4mg per g of hydrated matrix at pH 7.00. The adsorption mechanism was associated to a simple diffusion process with a weak columbic interaction between LZ and the matrix. The presence of NaCl 0.3M induced a total displacement of the LZ from the matrix. Under this condition, the percentage of desorbed protein was 95%. Successive cycles of adsorption-washing-elution were performed and the results showed the reversibility of the process and the usefulness of the method for enzyme purification and separation. A last successful step was carried out for the purification of LZ from egg white as natural source. The model proved to be useful applied as a platform design in the isolation and purification of proteins.

Continuous method to determine the trypsin inhibitor activity in soybean flour.

The determination of trypsin inhibitor (TI) activity is of importance to evaluate the nutritional value of soybean flours. An analytical method, which involves a continuous spectrophotometric rate determination for trypsin activity against the substrate N-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide, is proposed as an alternative to the standard discontinuous assay. Stopping the reaction with acetic acid and a centrifugation/filtration step to decrease turbidity are not required, thus reducing costs and sample preparation time. The TI activity of different flour samples, determined by both assays, demonstrated to be statistically comparable, irrespective of the TI concentration level. The coefficients of variation of the novel method did not exceed 8% at any concentration level. The curves of progress reaction showed a non-linear behavior in samples without TI. A reduction of incubation time from 10min to 2min increased the method sensitivity and extended its linear range. A more economical, faster and simpler assay was developed.

Influence of pH on viscoelastic properties of heat-induced gels obtained with a ß-Lactoglobulin fraction isolated from bovine milk whey hydrolysates.

A ß-Lactoglobulin fraction (r-ßLg) was isolated from whey hydrolysates produced with cardosins from Cynara cardunculus. The impact of the hydrolysis process on the r-ßLg structure and the rheological properties of heat-induced gels obtained thereafter were studied at different pH values. Differences were observed between r-ßLg and commercial ß-Lg used as control. Higher values for the fluorescence emission intensity and red shifts of the emission wavelength of r-ßLg suggested changes in its tertiary structure and more solvent-exposed tryptophan residues. Circular dichroism spectra also supported these evidences indicating that hydrolysis yielded an intermediate (non-native) ß-Lg state. The thermal history of r-ßLg through the new adopted conformation improved the microstructure of the gels at acidic pH. So, a new microstructure with better rheological characteristics (higher conformational flexibility and lower rigidity) and greater water holding ability was founded for r-ßLg gel. These results were reflected in the microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy.

Adsorption isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamic studies towards understanding the interaction between cross-linked alginate-guar gum matrix and chymotrypsin.

The adsorption kinetics of chymotrypsin, a pancreatic serine protease, onto an alginate-gum guar matrix cross-linked with epichlorohydrin has been performed using a batch-adsorption technique. The effect of various experimental parameters such as pH, salt presence, contact time and temperature were investigated. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were used to describe the kinetic data which shows that the adsorption of the enzyme followed the pseudo-second-order rate expression. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Hill adsorption isotherm models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms, and the isotherm constants were determined. It was found that Hill model was more suitable for our data because the isotherm data showed a sigmoidal behavior with the free enzyme concentration increasing in equilibrium. At 8°C and at pH 5.0, 1g hydrate matrix adsorbed about 7mg of chymotrypsin. In the desorption process 80% of the biological activity of chymotrypsin was recovered under the condition of 50mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.00-500mM NaCl. When successive cycles of adsorption/washing/desorption were performed, it was observed that the matrix remained functional until the fourth cycle of repeated batch enzyme adsorption. These results are important in terms of diminishing of cost and waste generation.

Bioactive properties of peptides obtained from Argentinian defatted soy flour protein by Corolase PP hydrolysis.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean meal protein isolate (SPI) obtained under two temperature conditions with Corolase PP was studied, assessing the impact of hydrolysis on potential antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. The protein was isolated from soybean meal under controlled conditions of time and temperature (70 °C, 1h; 90 °C, 30 min). Degree of hydrolysis assessed the progress of hydrolysis at different sampling times. For hydrolysates the antioxidant and angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities were measured. As observed, the DH was increasing until reaching 20% at 10h with disappearance of globular proteins and generation of low molecular weight peptides (less than 3kDa). A significant increase in antioxidant and ACE inhibitory capacities was observed. Five main peptides were identified, which may explain through their sequences the bioactive properties analyzed. Through this study was possible to obtain for the first time with Corolase PP soy hydrolysates with potential antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities, which can be used to obtain new added value functional ingredients from soy meal.

Physicochemical study of the formation of complexes between pancreatic proteases and polyanions.

The formation of insoluble complexes between proteins and oppositely charged polyelectrolytes was assessed. Two pancreatic enzymes: trypsin and chymotrypsin, and two anionic synthetic polyelectrolytes: polyacrylate and polyvinylsulfonate, were used for the study at the pH range between 3.00 and 5.00. Two different titration curve shapes, representing two insoluble complexes formation mechanisms, were found. The turbidity of enzyme-polyelectrolyte mixtures is related to the increase either in the size or in the quantity of the insoluble complexes. Ionic strength destabilized insoluble complex formation. Finally, the kinetics of the process of insoluble complex formation at different conditions was studied.

Interaction of tannase from Aspergillus niger with polycations applied to its primary recovery.

The interaction of tannase (TAH) with chitosan, polyethyleneimine and Eudragit(®)E100 was studied. It was found that TAH selectively binds to these polycations (PC), probably due to the acid nature of the target protein. TAH could interact with these PC depending on the medium conditions. The effect of the interaction on the secondary and tertiary structure of TAH was assayed through circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. TAH was recovered from Aspergillus niger culture broth by means of precipitation and adsorption using chitosan.

Partition in aqueous two-phase system: its application in downstream processing of tannase from Aspergillus niger.

Tannase from Aspergillus niger was partitioned in aqueous two-phase systems composed by polyethyleneglycol of molar mass 400, 600 and 1000 and potassium phosphate. Tannase was found to be partitioned toward the salt-rich phase in all systems, with partition coefficients lower than 0.5. Partition coefficients values and low entropic and enthalpic changes associated with tannase partition suggest that the entropic effect may be the driving force of the concentration of the enzyme in the bottom phase due to the high molar mass of the enzyme. The process was significantly influenced by the top phase/bottom phase volume ratio. When the fungal culture broth was partitioned in these systems, a good performance was found, since the enzyme recovery in the bottom phase of the system composed by polyethyleneglycol 1000 was around 96% with a 7.0-fold increase in purity.

Characterization of chymotrypsin-ι-carrageenan complex in aqueous solution: a solubility and thermodynamical stability study.

The aim of this study is to report the results of research work on the molecular mechanism of complex formation between chymotrypsin and a negatively charged natural strong polyelectrolyte, ι-carrageenan, using spectroscopy techniques. The carrageenan-chymotrypsin complex showed a maximal non-solubility at pH around 4.50 with a stoichiometric ratio between 8 and 33 g of chymotrypsin per g of carrageenan. These values were depended on the enzyme concentration, pH and ionic strength medium. The insoluble complex was redissolved by modifying the pH and by a NaCl concentration around 0.2 M in agreement with a coulombic mechanism of complex formation. The non-soluble complex formation showed biphasic kinetics. A fast step was carried out around 10 s and a coulombic mechanism takes place, and a slower step of around 120 s, where participate only Van der Waals forces. The enzymatic activity of chymotrypsin was maintained even in the presence of carrageenan (0.005%, w/v).

Production, recovery and purification of a recombinant ß-galactosidase by expanded bed anion exchange adsorption.

ß-Galactosidase is a hydrolase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of ß-galactosides into monosaccharides; its major application in the food industry is to reduce the content of lactose in lactic products. The aim of this work is to recover this enzyme from a cell lysate by adsorption onto Streamline-DEAE in an expanded bed, avoiding, as much as possible, biomass deposition onto the adsorbent matrix. So as to achieve less cell debris-matrix interaction, the adsorbent surface was covered with polyvinyl pyrrolidone. The enzyme showed to bind in the same extent to naked and covered Streamline-DEAE (65 mg ß-gal/g matrix) in batch mode in the absence of any biomass. The kinetics of the adsorption process was studied and no effect of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone covering was found. The optimal conditions for the recovery were achieved by using a lysate made of 40% wet weight of cells, a polyvinyl pyrrolidone-covered matrix/lysate ratio of 10% and carrying out the adsorption process in expanded bed with recirculation over 2h in 20 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.4. The fraction recovered after the elution contained 65% of the initial amount of enzyme with a 12.6-fold increased specific activity with respect to the lysate. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone content in the eluate was determined and found negligible. The remarkable point of this work is that it was possible to partially purify the enzyme using a feedstock containing an unusually high biomass concentration in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone onto weak anion exchangers.

Influence of stabilizers cosolutes on catalase conformation.

The effects of sucrose, mannitol and betaine on the thermodynamic stability and the conformational state of the catalase enzyme were analyzed in order to understand the molecular mechanism whereby the solutes stabilized the enzyme. Catalase was selected as the model enzyme because it is used in several biotechnological processes. In the presence of each cosolute, our data have shown that there was a significant increase in the thermal stability of catalase. A minor stabilization in the enzyme secondary structure were induced by these cosolutes, as circular dichroism in the far UV region has demonstrated. Furthermore, our results support the idea that the overall native structure of catalase becomes more rigid, at least in certain surface areas, in the presence of the assayed stabilizers. This last finding can be reasonably explained by the exclusion mechanism of cosolutes from the protein surface which increases the structured water around this area.

Isolation of a Aspergillus niger lipase from a solid culture medium with aqueous two-phase systems.

The aim of this work is to find the best conditions to isolate lipase from a solid culture medium of Aspergillus niger NRRL3 strains using aqueous two-phase systems formed with polyethylene glycol and potassium phosphate or polyethylene glycol and sodium citrate. We studied the partitioning of a commercial lyophilizate from A. niger. Also, the lipase enzymatic activity was studied in all the phases of the systems and the results indicate that citrate anion increases lipase activity. An analysis by fluorescence spectroscopy of the interaction between lipase and the bottom and top phases of the systems shows that the protein tryptophan-environments are modified by the presence of PEG and salts. Separation of the enzyme from the rest of the proteins that make up the lyophilized was achieved with good yield and separation factor by ATPS formed by PEG 1000/Pi at pH 7, PEG 2000/Ci at pH 5.2 and PEG 4000/Ci at pH 5.2. The above mentioned systems were used in order to isolate extracellular lipase from a strain of A. niger in submerged culture and solid culture. The best system for solid culture, with high purification factor (30.50), is the PEG 4000/Ci at pH 5.2. The enzyme was produced in a solid culture medium whose production is simple and recovered in a phase poor in polymer, bottom phase. An additional advantage is that the citrate produces less pollution than the phosphate. This methodology could be used as a first step for the isolation of the extracellular lipase from A. niger.

Cationic polyelectrolytes-lipases complexes formation as tool for recovery of these enzymes from their natural sources.

In the present paper the formation of complexes between positively charge polyelectrolyte (polyethyleneimine and chitosan) and Candida rugosa lipase from a crude extract and porcine lipase from pancreas commercial homogenate preparations were analyzed. The solubility of lipases-cationic polyelectrolytes formation was dependent on: polyelectrolyte densities electrical charge, polyelectrolyte and enzyme concentrations and salts present in the solution. The lipase was recovered from the non-soluble complex by adding of NaCl at a given pH. Although the polyelectrolytes did not affect lipase biological activity, both of them produced good enzyme recovery (>90%); however, purification factors were low. This methodology appears to be a good previous prepurification and concentration method, using, low-cost polymers, allows the design of a purification method where the protein of interest is present in a large volume with respect to the small amount of polyelectrolyte added.

Aspergillus oryzae alpha-amylase partition in potassium phosphate-polyethylene glycol aqueous two-phase systems.

The aim of this work is to study the partitioning of alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae in polyethylene glycol-potassium phosphate systems formed by polymers of different molecular masses with different total concentrations, several NaCl concentrations and different volume ratio between the phases and at different temperatures. The enzyme was partitioned towards the top phase in the 2000-molecular-mass polyethylene glycol systems and towards the bottom phase in the other systems analyzed with higher molecular mass. The protein-medium interaction parameter (A) was determined; it increased in the same way as PEG molecular mass. The enthalpic and entropic changes found, in general, were negative and were shown to be associated by an entropic-enthalpic compensation effect suggesting that the ordered water structure in the chain of polyetyleneglycol plays a role in protein partition. The recovery in each of the phases was calculated in order to choose the best systems to be applied to enzyme isolation either from a polymer-rich or a polymer-poor phase. Enzymatic activity, circular dichroism and fluorescence were studied for the protein alone and in the presence of the different phases of the aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) in order to understand how they affect the enzymatic structure and the role of the protein-polymer interaction in the partitioning process. Secondary structure is not affected, in general, by the presence of the phases that do affect the enzymatic activity; therefore, there should be a change in the tertiary structure in the enzyme active site. These changes are more important for PEG 8000 than for PEG 2000 systems according to the results of the quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence. In a bio-separation process, the A. oryzae alpha-amylase could be isolated with ATPSs PEG 2000/Pi or PEG 8000/Pi with a high recovery, in the top or bottom phases, respectively.

A simple method of chymotrypsin concentration and purification from pancreas homogenate using Eudragit® L100 and Eudragit® S100.

The condition of chymotrypsin (ChTRP)-Eudragit® (Eu) insoluble complex formation was studied with the aim of applying this information to the separation of chymotrypsin from a crude filtrate of bovine pancreas homogenate. The optimal pH of the complex precipitation was 4.60 for ChTRP-Eudragit® L100 and 5.40 for ChTRP-Eudragit® S100. The polyelectrolyte concentration necessary for the commercial enzyme precipitation was lower than 0.1% (w/v). The complex formation was inhibited by NaCl for both polyelectrolytes. The method was applied to recover the enzyme from bovine homogenate; ChTRP was precipitated by Eudragit® addition. The non-soluble complexes were separated by simple centrifugation and re-dissolved by a pH change to 8.20. The best conditions to recover ChTRP brought about a purification factor of around 4 and 90% yield.

The formation of non-soluble complexes between polyethyleneimine-anions and their potential use to isolate enzymes.

The aqueous solution behavior of polyethyleneimine (a synthetic cationic polymer) in the presence of anions with two or more electrical charges (citrate, phosphate, sulphate, malate, malonate and succinate) was studied by means of turbidimetry and light scattering. Polyethyleneimine forms non-soluble complexes with these anions, which behave as a pseudo-polyampholyte with an isoelectrical pH value dependent on the type of anion. The effect of pH, polymer concentration and ionic strength on the non-soluble complexes formation was examined. The complex precipitation pH range was between 3.5 and 8.0 and also depended on the type of anion. The complex formation was inhibited by the ionic strength in agreement with the electrostatic mechanism of the non-soluble complex formation. Model proteins with isoelectric pH from 1 to 10 were assayed in orden to be precipitated by these complexes. It was found that the non-soluble polyethyleneimine-anion complexes have the property to precipitate macromolecules charged with an opposite electrical charge.