Characteristic features and biotechnological applications of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs)

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2011 Nov;92(3):467-77. doi: 10.1007/s00253-011-3554-2. Epub 2011 Sep 2.

Abstract

Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) have many economic and environmental benefits in the context of industrial biocatalysis. They are easily prepared from crude enzyme extracts, and the costs of (often expensive) carriers are circumvented. They generally exhibit improved storage and operational stability towards denaturation by heat, organic solvents, and autoproteolysis and are stable towards leaching in aqueous media. Furthermore, they have high catalyst productivities (kilograms product per kilogram biocatalyst) and are easy to recover and recycle. Yet another advantage derives from the possibility to co-immobilize two or more enzymes to provide CLEAs that are capable of catalyzing multiple biotransformations, independently or in sequence as catalytic cascade processes.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biocatalysis
  • Biotechnology / methods*
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Enzymes / chemistry
  • Enzymes / metabolism*
  • Enzymes, Immobilized / chemistry
  • Enzymes, Immobilized / metabolism
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Macromolecular Substances / metabolism*
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Protein Stability

Substances

  • Enzymes
  • Enzymes, Immobilized
  • Macromolecular Substances