ENHANCEMENT OF ENZYME ACTIVITY THROUGH PURIFICATION AND IMMOBILIZATION

An improved method of making an immobilized enzyme comprising (a) treating an immobilization support with an aqueous solution comprising a cross-linking agent and polymeric aldehyde species and active centre species to produce a modified support; (b) isolating the modified support; (c) treating an enzyme solution with the modified support to produce the immobilized enzyme, the improvement comprising treating the aqueous solution of cross-linking agent with an effective amount of a purifying agent to reduce the amount of the polymeric aldehyde species and active centre species. Alternatively, the invention provides an improved method of making an immobilized enzyme comprising (a) treating an immobilization support with an aqueous enzyme solution to produce an adsorbed immobilized enzyme; (b) isolating the adsorbed immobilized enzyme; and treating the adsorbed immobilized enzyme with an effective amount of an aqueous solution comprising a cross-linking agent and polymeric aldehyde species and active centre species to produce the immobilized enzyme, the improvement comprising treating the cross-linking agent with an effective amount of a purifying agent, to reduce the amount of the polymeric species and active centre species. Preferably, the cross-linking agent is glutardaldehyde, the purifyingagent is activated carbon, the immobilization agent is a silica gel, zeolite or activated carbon, and the enzyme is amylase.