The activity of immobilized enzymes on different krill chitin preparations

Abstract

Abstract The suitability of krill chitin, prepared by using different concentrations of KOH and HCI for deproteinization and demineralization, respectively, was investigated. The activity of enzymes immobilized on such supports depends on the degree of deproteinization of chitin, availability of amino groups, content of minerals, mesh size, structure of the surface, and conformation of the chitin molecules. It was found that invertase and amyloglucosidase achieved high activity after immobilization on chitin obtained at not too rigorous conditions of deproteinization. However, the activity of immobilized α‐amylase and diastase increased significantly with the increase in concentration of KOH used for deproteinization. High content of minerals and proteins in chitin preparation causes a loss of immobilized enzyme activity.