Improved performance of α-amylase immobilized on poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) beads

α-Amylase was successfully immobilized onto poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylenedimethacrylate) (PGMA/EDMA) beads with high immobilization efficiency of 87.8%. PGMA/EDMA beads with a relatively uniform diameter of 2–3 μm were prepared by single-step swelling polymerization. After amination with ethanediamine and activation with glutaraldehyde, PGMA/EDMA beads showed commendable α-amylase immobilization capacity of 35.1 mg g−1 carrier. Compared with free form, immobilized α-amylase had increasement of 12.94 mg mL−1 for Km and 0.124 mmol mL−1 min−1 for Vmax, improved acid resistance (the optimal pH from 7 to 5), presented better thermal stability by retaining 61% activity than 40% at 90 °C, and displayed high operational reusability by retaining 58% of its initial activity after nine uses. Moreover, less than 10% of the free enzyme and more than 80% of the immobilized enzyme retained activity after 180 min pre-incubation at 50 °C. The easy modification, high immobilization efficiency and good properties of immobilized α-amylase in the present study indicate that PGMA/EDMA beads are suitable for α-amylase immobilization. The enhancement of acid resistance and thermo stability is doubtless of benefit for the industrial use of α-amylase.