Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8.4.2.3 Itaconic Acid-Grafted Chitosan for Reversible Enzyme
Immobilization ........................................................................................ 365
8.1 Introduction
Enzymes have been used since time immemorial in cheese manufacturing and indirectly
via yeasts and bacteria in food manufacturing. Isolated enzymes were first used in the
year 1914, their protein nature was proven in 1926 and their large-scale microbial produc-
tion started in the 1960s. The industrial enzyme business is steadily growing due to
improved production technologies, engineered enzyme properties, and new application
fields. The global market for industrial enzymes is expected to increase to over $2.7 billion
by 2012 [1]. In recent years, enzymes have found applications in the food, agrochemical,
and pharmaceutical industries and now increasingly in organic chemical synthesis.
Biocatalysis capitalizes on the metabolic diversity of enzymes and exhibits a number of
features compared with conventional chemicals. The major advantages of using enzymes
in biocatalytic transformations are their chemo-, regio-, and stereospecificity. These speci-
ficities warrant that the catalyzed reaction is not perturbed by side reactions, resulting
in the production of one wanted end product, whereas production of undesirable by-
products is eliminated. In addition, enzymes are more suited to working with natural and
renewable feedstock than those derived from petrochemicals. Also, enzymes practically
do not present disposal problems since, being mostly proteins and peptides, they are bio-
degradable and easily removed from contaminated streams [2].
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