Enzyme immobilization in a gel containing 30 to 50 percent gelatin

Abstract

Gel immobilized enzymes are prepared for use in carrying out reactions in hydrophobic solvents. The gel is formed from a gelatinizer such as gelatin or a polysaccharide such as agarose, agar, pectin, sodium alginate or carrageenan. The gel contains a ratio of amount of gelatinizer to amount of water such that the gel is capable of being mechanically divisible into dimensionally substantially stable fragments at a temperature which may reach a lower limit of the gelation temperature range of the gelatinizer. A preferred gel contains 30 to 50% gelatin, and is prepared by forming a mixture of water, enzyme and water-soluble gelatin, heating the mixture to dissolve the gelatin to form a solution, and cooling the solution until it forms a gel. An immobilized lipase can be used for synthesis of an optically active isomer of an ester from an alcohol and an acid, with either the alcohol or the acid being a racemic mixture or an enantiomer, for hydrolysis of an ester which is either a racemate or a pure enantiomer, or for transesterfication.

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