Application of ß-glucuronidase-immobilised silica gel formulation to microfluidic platform for biotransformation of ß-glucuronides.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the efficiency of reactions of ß-glucuronidase (GUS)-assisted glucuronic acid (GluA) removal within a microfluidic system. RESULTS: ß-glucuronidase from Helix pomatia was immobilised and characterised in silica-based sol-gel monoliths. Efficiency of the GUS-doped silica monoliths was tested for hydrolysis of p-Nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucuronide (pNP-GluA) in both ml-scaled medium via batch reactions and microfluidic environment via continuous-flow reactions. In the microfluidic platform, within a duration of 150 min of continuous operation (flow rate: 1 µL/min), the obtained highest pNP yield was almost 50% higher than that of the corresponding batchwise reaction. However, increased flow rates (3, 5, and 10 µL/min) resulted in lower conversion yields compared to 1 µL/min. The microfluidic platform demonstrated continuous hydrolytic activity for 7 days with considerable reaction yields while using a small amount of the enzyme. CONCLUSION: These results revealed that usage of the microreactors has considerable potential to efficiently obtain bioactive GluA-free aglycons from various plant-derived ß-glucuronides for pharmaceutical applications.

Formulation of organic and inorganic hydrogel matrices for immobilization of ß-glucosidase in microfluidic platform.

The aim of this study was to formulate silica and alginate hydrogels for immobilization of ß-glucosidase. For this purpose, enzyme kinetics in hydrogels were determined, activity of immobilized enzymes was compared with that of free enzyme, and structures of silica and alginate hydrogels were characterized in terms of surface area and pore size. The addition of polyethylene oxide improved the mechanical strength of the silica gels and 68% of the initial activity of the enzyme was preserved after immobilizing into tetraethyl orthosilicate-polyethylene oxide matrix where the relative activity in alginate beads was 87%. The immobilized ß-glucosidase was loaded into glass-silicon-glass microreactors and catalysis of 4-nitrophenyl ß-d-glucopyranoside was carried out at various retention times (5, 10, and 15 min) to compare the performance of silica and alginate hydrogels as immobilization matrices. The results indicated that alginate hydrogels exhibited slightly better properties than silica, which can be utilized for biocatalysis in microfluidic platforms.

Production of laccase from Trametes versicolor by solid-state fermentation using olive leaves as a phenolic substrate.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether olive leaves were feasible as a substrate for laccase production by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor FPRL 28A INI under solid-state fermentation conditions. Different experiments were conducted to select the variables that allow obtaining high levels of laccase activity. In particular, the effects of the initial moisture content, substrate particle size, supplementation with inorganic and organic nitrogen sources were evaluated. Highest laccase activity (276.62 ± 25.67 U/g dry substrate) was achieved with 80 % initial moisture content and 1.4-1.6 mm particle size of the substrate supplemented with yeast extract (1 % (w/w) nitrogen). Such a high activity was obtained without any addition of inducers.

Bioethanol production from raffinate phase of supercritical CO2 extracted Stevia rebaudiana leaves.

The extracts of Stevia rebaudiana are marketed as dietary supplements and utilized as natural sweetening agent in food products. Subsequent to extraction on industrial scale, large quantities of solid wastes are produced. The aim of this study was to investigate the bioconversion efficiency of supercritical CO(2) extracted S. rebaudiana residues. Therefore, leaves were extracted with supercritical CO(2) and ethanol mixture in order to obtain glycosides, then the raffinate phase was hydrolyzed by both dilute acid and various concentrations of cellulase and ß-glucosidase cocktail. The maximum yield of reducing sugars reached 25.67 g/L under the optimal conditions of enzyme pretreatment, whereas 32.00 g/L was reached by consecutive enzymatic and acid hydrolyses. Bioethanol yield (20 g/L, 2.0% inoculum, 2 days) based on the sugar consumed was 45.55% corresponding to a productivity of 0.19 kg/m(3)h which demonstrates challenges to be utilized as a potential feedstock for the production of bioethanol.