Immobilization of pectinase from Bacillus licheniformis KIBGE-IB21 on chitosan beads for continuous degradation of pectin polymers

Pectinase catalyzes the degradation of pectin substances and has been used in various food and textile industries. In this study, pectinase from Bacillus licheniformis KIBGE-IB21 was immobilized on chitosan beads using formaldehyde as a crosslinking agent. Various concentration of formaldehyde was tried during immobilization procedure and 10% was found to immobilize maximum pectinase. The optimum crosslinking time and temperature for the activation of chitosan beads were observed to be 3.0 h and 30 °C, respectively. The immobilization did not influence the optimum pH and temperature of pectinase for maximum activity and both the native and immobilized pectinase showed maximum activity at same pH and temperature. However, the stability of pectinase against different pH and temperatures was increased after immobilization. The chitosan immobilized pectinase showed excellent recycling efficiency and retained more than 90% of its initial activity during 4th cycle.