Preparation of superparamagnetic sodium alginate nanoparticles for covalent immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase

Superparamagnetic sodium alginate nanoparticles with diameter around 25–30 nm were prepared with a water-in-oil emulsion method. The resulted magnetic SA nanoparticle was activated with glutaraldehyde and epichlorohydrin to form nanoscale support. Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), hereby chosen as a model enzyme, was covalently immobilized on the resulted magnetic support. The structure and magnetic behavior of the magnetic nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Based on the structural character of enzyme (containing functional residues that are ideal reaction sites for the immobilization of enzyme repeatedly), the regeneration of support was investigated by reactivating the deactivated immobilized lipase with glutaraldehyde. And the results indicated that these regenerated supports remained to be efficient for lipase immobilization. Finally, all of the immobilized CRL prepared by different generations of supports displayed excellent reusability and applicability.