Abstract

FEASIBILITY ON USING THE MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR SUCROSE HYDROLYSIS

Ester J. Yoriyaz and Michele Vitolo

ABSTRACT

The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of soluble and insoluble invertase in a continuous process using a membrane bioreactor coupled with a UF (cut of 100kDa) or a MF (5m) membrane. Bioinvert, commercial invertase was immobilized on anionic polystyrene beads by adsorption. The catalytic performance of both soluble and insoluble invertase was evaluated through sucrose hydrolysis in a continuous membrane reactor. Considering the reactor in a continuous steady-state operation (20h), the mean activities were 0.23, 0.88 and 1.02 mmol/h.mgEnzyme for soluble, insoluble (100kDa) and insoluble (5m) invertase respectively and their yields attained were 100, 83.7 and 99.3% respectively. No leakage of enzyme from the support was detected and higher activity and yield of immobilized invertase were attained when a Microfiltration-membrane was applied. The data showed that the membrane bioreactor is suitable for sucrose hydrolysis.

Keywords: Invertase; membrane bioreactor; immobilization; sucrose hydrolysis.