New insights into the effectiveness of alpha-amylase enzyme presentation on the Bacillus subtilis spore surface by adsorption and covalent immobilization.

Most of the studies in the field of enzyme immobilization have sought to develop a simple, efficient and cost-effective immobilization system. In this study, probiotic Bacillus spores were used as a matrix for enzyme immobilization, because of their inherent resistance to extreme temperatures, UV irradiation, solvents and drying. Above all, their preparation is cost-effective. The alpha-amylase enzyme was immobilized on the spore surface by the covalent and adsorption methods. For the covalent method, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N hydroxysulfosuccinimide (NHS) were used. The maximum concentration of the alpha-amylase immobilized by the two methods onto the spore surface was 360 μg/1.2×10(11) spore. However, maximum activity was achieved at an enzyme concentration of approximately 60 μg/.4×10(10), corresponding to an estimated activity of 8×10(3) IU mg(-1)/1.2×10(11) spore for covalent immobilization and 8.53×10(3) for the adsorption method. After washing the enzyme with 1M NaCl and 0.5% Triton X-100, the enzyme immobilization yield was estimated to be 77% and 20.07% for the covalent and adsorption methods, respectively. The alpha-amylase immobilized by both methods, displayed improved activity in the basic pH range. The optimum pH for the free enzyme was 5 while it shifted to 8 for the immobilized enzyme. The optimum temperatures for the free and immobilized enzymes were 60 °C and 80 °C, respectively. The covalently-immobilized alpha-amylase retained 65% of its initial activity, even after 10 times of recycling. The Km and Vmax values were determined by the GraphPad Prism software, which showed that the Vmax value decreased moderately after immobilization. This is the first study which reports the covalent immobilization of an enzyme on the spore surface.