Assaying the biological activities of immobilized enzymes

Abstract

The assay of immobilized enzymes includes different methods and procedures to assess how much substrate is converted to product(s) or how much product is generated, after a certain time. First from biochemistry and more recently from the multiplicity of disciplines, enzymatic activity is key to characterize a free enzyme and an immobilized one. The challenges of protein quantification in free and immobilized enzymes and the importance of the detailed design of all the experimental quantification of substrates and products when using enzymes are presented and discussed in this chapter. There is a strong need for a common terminology and methodology to be able to compare published data with nonpublished ones and a whole characterization of the free and the immobilized enzyme. Some of the most important problems found in this journey from the free enzyme to the application of the immobilized one are discussed in this chapter.