Immobilization on Chitosan of a Thermophilic Trehalose Synthase from Thermus thermophilus HJ6

A thermostable trehalose synthase (TtTSase) from Thermus thermophilus HJ6 was immobilized on chitosan activated with glutaraldehyde. The yield of immobilization was evaluated as 39.68%. The optimum pH of the immobilized enzyme was similar to that of the free enzyme. However, the optimal temperature ranges were shifted by about $4^{\circ}C$ owing to better thermal stability after immobilization. The half-life of heat inactivation for free and immobilized enzymes was 5.7 and 6.3 days at $70^{\circ}C$, respectively, thus showing a lager thermostability of the immobilized enzyme. When tested in batch reaction, the immobilized enzyme retained its relative activity of 53% after 30 reuses of reaction within 12 days, and still retained 82% of its initial activity even after 150 days at $4^{\circ}C$. A packed-bed bioreactor with immobilized enzyme showed a maximum yield of 56% trehalose from 100 mM maltose in a continuous recycling system (bed volume: 10 ml) under conditions of pH 7.0 and $70^{\circ}C$.