Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase on electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)–polyacrylamide blend nanofiber membrane and its use in the conversion of phenol

Electrospun nanofibers, with their porous structures, high surface-to-volume ratio, and good mechanical properties, are used as a support material for enzyme immobilization. In this study, the poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyacrylamide bicomponent (PVA–PAAm) nanofibers were fabricated via the electrospinning method. Synthesized PAAm was characterized with size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Nanofibers were characterized by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). DSC and TGA analyses showed that the nanofibers were more durable than PVA and PAAm polymers. SEM images demonstrated that all nanofibers possessed uniform and smooth structures (average diameter about 300 nm). FTIR results have shown that PAAm successfully participates in nanofiber structure. The produced nanofibers were used as support material for covalent immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The optimum temperature for free HRP was 45 °C, whereas it was 50 °C for the immobilized enzyme. The immobilized HRP showed better storage and thermal stability than free HRP. The kinetic parameters (K _m and V _max) were found to be 2.42 mM and 0.027 U for the immobilized HRP and 1.86 mM and 0.079 U for the free HRP, respectively. The immobilized enzyme could be used effectively for 25 cycles with 54% retention of the activity. The immobilized HRP was also used for the conversion of phenol. Phenol removal was found to be about 29.68% at 180 min in real wastewater. The novel PVA–PAAm nanofibrous material was successfully used as a support material for covalent immobilization of HRP. Immobilized enzymes such as oxido-reductases onto the PVA–PAAm bicomponent nanofiber could be recommended in the treatment of organic pollutants in industrial effluents.

     

葡萄糖氧化酶固定条件的优化

以醋酸纤维素(CA)为原料,采用溶液浇铸法成膜。用物理包埋法将荧光指示剂固定CA膜中。以戊二醛为交联剂,将葡萄糖氧化酶固定于膜表面。研究了高碘酸钠、乙二胺、戊二醛、给酶量、pH值等固定化条件对酶活的影响,确定了优化的固定条件:在室温下与0.5 mol/L的高碘酸钠反应30 min;与0.04 mol/L的乙二胺反应150 min时;与溶度为1.5%(v/v)的戊二醛交联120 min;在4℃条件下,在pH6.5、给酶量35 mg/mL的酶液中交联21 h。利用SEM分析表明,荧光指示剂均匀分布膜中,成膜质量较好。通过优化固定条件,把荧光指示剂和葡萄糖氧化物酶(GOD)同时固定醋酸纤维素膜上,可以得到同时具有光敏感性和酶催化能力的复合敏感膜。     

Bisacryloylpiperazine as vinylating agent for enzyme immobilization by graft-copolymerization onto polysaccharides

A method of enzyme immobilization by graft-copolymerization onto polysaccharides is reported. Bisacryloylpiperazine has been used as a vinylating reagent and the reaction product with several enzymes (HRP, GOD, Am, ChT, Cel) was copolymerized onto different matrices (cellulose, Sepharose, Sephadex, starch). Immobilization parameters which influence the copolymer activity have been studied for the insolubilization of horseradish peroxidase onto cellulose. These parameters are pH, time, and temperature of bisacryloylpiperazine enzyme activation reaction. Under the best immobilization conditions copolymer activity linearly depends on enzyme concentration. Enzyme coupling efficiency depends on the type of enzyme and it ranges from 7 to 20%. The most important characteristics of these immobilized enzyme systems were tested and compared with those of similar systems obtained by glycidylmethacrylate enzyme activation (stability in continuous washing, kinetic characteristics, and storage, thermal, and operational stability). Immobilized enzyme graft copolymers have kinetic behaviour very close to that of the free enzymes. Diffusion is not seriously limited because immobilization reaction does not alter the enzymatic activity. By means of bisacryloylpiperazine it was possible to immobilize chymotrypsin with better results than those previously obtained, particularly coupling efficiency and long term continuous working.     

Comparative study of poly(vinyl alcohol)‐based support materials for the immobilization of glucose oxidase

BACKGROUND: The performances of four types of glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilization materials based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were compared. The matrices of interest were chemically‐linked PVA, freeze‐thawed PVA cryogel, tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) sol‐gel‐PVA hybrid material, and alumina sol‐gel‐PVA hybrid material. RESULTS: Overall, the membranes showed good sensitivity except for the chemically cross‐linked PVA. However, the main differences with the enzyme immobilization methods were enzyme leakage and values of K_m^app. CONCLUSION: Freeze‐thawed PVA‐GOD membranes and TMOS‐PVA, which showed satisfactory sensitivity and adequate value of K_m^app, were quite promising as support materials for immobilizing GOD. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Immobilization of peroxidase enzyme onto the porous silicon structure for enhancing its activity and stability

In this work, a commercial peroxidase was immobilized onto porous silicon (PS) support functionalized with 3-aminopropyldiethoxysilane (APDES) and the performance of the obtained catalytic microreactor was studied. The immobilization steps were monitored and the activity of the immobilized enzyme in the PS pores was spectrophotometrically determined. The enzyme immobilization in porous silicon has demonstrated its potential as highly efficient enzymatic reactor. The effect of a polar organic solvent (acetonitrile) and the temperature (up to 50°C) on the activity and stability of the biocatalytic microreactor were studied. After 2-h incubation in organic solvent, the microreactor retained 80% of its initial activity in contrast to the system with free soluble peroxidase that lost 95% of its activity in the same period of time. Peroxidase immobilized into the spaces of the porous silicon support would be perspective for applications in treatments for environmental security such as removal of leached dye in textile industry or in treatment of different industrial effluents. The system can be also applied in the field of biomedicine.     

Immobilization of glucose oxidase and acetylcholinesterase onto modified polyamide sorbent

Two types of polyamide (PA) sorbents with high specific area were prepared. The effects of solvent type, concentrations of formic acid, and polymer on the porosity characteristics were studied. The sorbent with the highest specific area was obtained by using C₂H₅OH—HCOOH solvent (60% HCOOH) and the rest of the experiments were carried out with this type of sorbent. The possibility of applying the PA sorbent as carrier for immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was investigated. In order to increase the active groups content (necessary for enzyme immobilization), the sorbent was modified with dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate (DMAEM) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropensulfonic acid. The amount of the active groups introduced during the modification and the degree of hydrophilicity were determined. The quantity of bound protein and relative activity of GOD and AChE immobilized onto unmodified and modified sorbents were studied. Optimum pH and temperature of the immobilized GOD and AChE were also determined. The influence of three phosphoroorganic compounds on the activity of the immobilized AChE was investigated. Tetrachlorvinvos was found to be the strongest inhibitor, while AChE immobilized onto PA sorbent modified with DMAEM showed the highest stability. The possibility of using immobilized GOD and AChE in a flow-injection system for determination of the concentrations of glucose and phosphoroorganic compounds was studied. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68:323–329, 1998     

Simultaneous covalent immobilization of glucose oxidase and catalase onto chemically modified acrylonitrile copolymer membranes

Ultrafiltration membranes from acrylonitrile copolymer were chemically modified with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (from 5 to 30% H₂O₂). The amount of the amide groups in the modified membranes was determined. The water flow and permeability coefficients of the initial and modified membranes were also researched. The modified membranes were used as carriers for covalent immobilization of the dual enzyme system of glucose oxidase and catalase (GOD+CAT). It was found that the best matrices for immobilization of the dual system were membranes modified with 20% H₂O₂ and the optimal activity ratio was GOD : CAT = 1 : 5. The glucose conversion efficiency with the dual enzyme system was twice as high as that of bound GOD alone. Some of the basic characteristics (optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH, temperature stability, and storage stability) of the dual enzyme system were determined and compared with characteristics of free and bound enzymes. The catalytic parameters of the enzyme reaction (K_m and V_max) were determined with GOD immobilized alone and with the dual system GOD+CAT. The higher rate observed with the dual enzyme system clearly showed the advantage and the efficiency of the immobilized system. Glucose oxidase without catalase was deactivated by H₂O₂ more rapidly than the immobilized dual GOD+CAT system. These experimental evidences can be explained by the protecting effect of catalase on glucose oxidase from inhibition by H₂O₂. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 4057–4063, 2004     

Immobilization of β‐amylase using polyacrylamide polymer derivatives

Barley β‐amlyase was immobilized on two polymeric materials; poly(acrylamide–acrylic acid) resin [P(AM‐AAc)] and poly(acrylamide–acrylic acid–diallylamine–HCl) resin [P(P(AM‐AAc‐DAA‐HCl) using two different methods: covalent and cross‐linking immobilization. Thionyl chloride, used to activate the polymers for covalent immobilization, has the advantage that it is able to react with a number of surface groups of protein under very mild conditions. Cross‐linking with glutaraldehyde gave a higher coupling yield (approximately 70%) than covalent immobilization (approximately 20%). The activity and stability of the resulting biopolymers have been compared with those of free β‐amylase. The specific activity of the immobilized enzyme was significantly influenced by the amount of enzyme loaded onto the polymers, the optimal level being 3.5 mg g^?1 polymer. It was found that the immobilized β‐amylase stored at 4°C retained approximately 90% of its original activity after 30 days, whereas free β‐amylase stored in solution at 4°C retained only 47% of its activity after same period. The difference in long term stability was more significant when the enzyme was stored at room temperature; the immobilized enzyme maintained 40% of its activity after 30 days, whereas the residual activity of free enzyme was only 10%. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

磁性聚乙烯醇微球固定化α-乙酰乳酸脱羧酶

采用分散聚合法，用Fe3O4磁流体和PVA分子单体共聚合，制备表面富含羟基和羧基等官能团，粒径分布在8～64µm的磁性聚乙烯醇微球。以CDI为一种PVA的羧基化剂，并通过共价结合固定化法，使ALDC固定到磁性聚乙烯醇微球表面上。结果，固定化ALDC的总活力、蛋白载量、比活和活性回收率分别为65180U/g、74.72mg/g、872.32U/mg和48.71％。固定化ALDC的最适温度和最适pH值分别为50℃和6.0。ALDC被固定化后其热稳定性、操作稳定性、pH稳定性均比自由酶提高。固定化ALDC在４℃、pH 6.0磷酸缓冲液中保存31d，其相对活力仍保持95.7％，这比其自由酶的提高7个百分点。     

Characterization and application of immobilized lipase enzyme on different radiation grafted polymeric films: Assessment of the immobilization process using spectroscopic analysis

Lipase has been immobilized onto different films, polypropylene and poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐perfluroro‐propyl vinyl ether) using glutalaradehyde as a crosslinker. Differential scanning calorimetery, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic, x‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy measurements were carried out to confirm the structure of the polymer films as well as the immobilization process of the enzyme onto the polymeric carrier. The activity and stability of the resulting biopolymers produced by lipase have been compared to those for the native lipase. The experimental results showed that the optimum temperature and pH were 40°C and 8.0, respectively. The activity of the immobilized lipases varied with lipase concentration and with the yield of grafting. Subjecting the immobilized enzymes to a dose of γ‐radiation of (0.5–10 Mrad) showed complete loss in the activity of the free enzyme at a dose of 5 Mrad. A leakage of the enzyme from the irradiated membranes was not observed in the repeated batch enzyme reactions. The operational stability of the free and immobilized lipase in n‐hexane showed that the immobilized enzyme was much more stable than the free one. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 155–167, 2003     

Study on the activity and stability of urease immobilized onto nanoporous alumina membranes

Nanoporous alumina membranes were employed as substrate materials for urease immobilization. Anodic porous alumina was prepared by the two-step anodization of high purity aluminum. By controlling anodization conditions, the nanoporous structure with desired dimension was obtained. Urease immobilization onto nanoporous alumina membranes was performed by four different protocols. Effect of pore diameter, pore length and immobilization methods on the activity and stability of immobilized enzyme was discussed in detail. The results show that the enzymes immobilized onto porous alumina with big pore diameter possess high activity and poor stability as compared to small pore diameter. The effect of pore length is complicated, the activity of enzyme increases with the increasing pore length for big pore size; while for correspondingly small pore size, enzymatic activity slightly depends on pore length. The immobilization methods have a slight effect on enzymatic activity, whereas enzyme immobilization by chitosan coating and reticulation with glutaraldehyde exhibits a good long-term stability as compared to that only via physical adsorption.     

Preparation and characterization of polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles and their application in Subtilisin immobilization

The preparation and characterization of polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and their application in Subtilisin (Alcalase®) immobilization were investigated. For the synthesis of polymer-coated MSNs, acrylic acid (AA) and chitosan (CS) mixture were blended as poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and CS polymer layer onto MSNs via in-situ polymerization technique. Then, both uncoated MSNs and polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CS-PAA/MSNs) were characterized by taking into account properties such as morphologic pattern, size distribution, surface charge of the particles as well as thermogravimetric stability with SEM, TEM, Zetasizer and TGA analyses. Subtilisin was immobilized onto polymer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles via adsorption technique. For optimizing the enzyme immobilization process, the percent enzyme loading depending on the matrix amount, immobilization time and pH were investigated. Then, the activity values of immobilized enzyme and free enzyme were compared at various pH and temperature values. The maximum enzyme activity was achieved at pH 9.0 for both immobilized and free enzyme. Immobilized enzyme showed more stability at higher temperatures compared with free enzyme. Furthermore, the operational and storage stability of immobilized enzyme were determined. The activity of immobilized enzyme was reduced from 100% to 45.83% after five repeated uses. The storage stability of immobilized enzyme was found to be higher than that of free enzyme. The activity of immobilized enzyme was reduced from 100% to 60% after 28 days of storage time. We concluded that the polymer-coated MSNs were a suitable matrix for Subtilisin immobilization compared to uncoated MSNs.     

Construction of a choline biosensor through enzyme immobilization on a poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐grafted Teflon film

An amperometric choline biosensor was constructed by immobilizing choline oxidase (ChO) on poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)‐grafted Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE) film. Grafting was achieved by γ irradiation. PHEMA‐grafted Teflon films were activated with epichlorohydrin or glutaraldehyde to achieve covalent immobilization of enzyme onto the film. To decrease the diffusional barrier caused by the enzyme‐immobilized film, the film was stretched directly on the electrode. The PHEMA‐grafted Teflon film, therefore, had to have appropriate mechanical properties. Glucose oxidase (GOD) was used in the determination of optimum immobilization conditions, then these were applied to ChO. With GOD, the effect of activation type and film position in electrode on enzyme activity was studied and the highest catalytic activity was obtained when the enzyme was immobilized using glutaraldehyde and the film was stretched over the electrode surface. Further studies revealed that the films activated with glutaraldehyde, immobilized in 2 mg/mL ChO concentration, and stretched directly on the electrode were suitable (specific activity, 0.427 ± 0.068 U mg^?1) for use in the choline biosensor. The linear working range of this biosensor was found to be 52–348 μM, with a 40 ± 5 μM minimum detection limit. The response of the sensor, however, decreased linearly upon repeated use. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Enzyme immobilization on polyglycidylmethacrylate graft-copolymer of different polysaccharides

Comparative results obtained in preparing and characterizing samples of enzymes immobilized by reaction with polyglycidylmethacrylate (PGMA) copolymers with different polysaccharide matrices are reported. Sepharose copolymers having between 25 and 50% synthetic polymer were used to find the best immobilization conditions of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose-oxidase (GOD) (pH, time, temperature, enzyme cncentration). Activity, enzyme loading and coupling efficiency of immobilized HRP and GOD are greatly dependent on the type of matrix while the polymer content is less important. Coupling efficiencies between 0.8 and 1.5% have been obtained for HRP samples, whereas for GOD samples coupling efficiencies three times greater were obtained. HRP and GOD immobilized samples show K_m′ values greater than those of corresponding free enzymes and this indicates diffusion limitation phenomena. Storage, thermal and operational stability were also studied. In general the storage stability could be considered satisfactory (50% residual activity after 360 days). Sepharose and starch HRP-copolymers had an improved thermal stability compared with that of free enzyme. Residual activity found in continuous operation tests carried out on HRP-immobilized samples turned out to be dependent on support. HRP-PGMA-Cellulose sample gave the best results (50% residual activity after 16 days). PGMA-graft-copolymers have also been used to immobilize other enzymes such as α-amylase, α-chymotrypsin and cellulase.     

Immobilization of a nonspecific chitosan hydrolytic enzyme for application in preparation of water‐soluble low‐molecular‐weight chitosan

A nonspecific chitosan hydrolytic enzyme, cellulase, was immobilized onto magnetic chitosan microspheres, which was prepared in a well spherical shape by the suspension crosslinking technique. The morphology characterization of the microspheres was carried out with scanning electron microscope and the homogeneity of the magnetic materials (Fe₃O₄) in the microspheres was determined from optical micrograph. Factors affecting the immobilization, and the properties and stabilities of the immobilized enzyme were studied. The optimum concentration of the crosslinker and cellulase solution for the immobilization was 4% (v/v) and 6 mg/mL, respectively. The immobilized enzyme had a broader pH range of high activity and the loss of the activity of immobilized cellulase was lower than that of the free cellulase at high temperatures. This immobilized cellulase has higher apparent Michaelis–Menten constant K_m (1.28 mg/mL) than that of free cellulase (0.78 mg/mL), and the maximum apparent initial catalytic rate V_max of immobilized cellulase (0.39 mg mL^?1 h^?1) was lower than free enzyme (0.48 mg mL^?1 h^?1). Storage stability was enhanced after immobilization. The residual activity of the immobilized enzyme was 78% of original after 10 batch hydrolytic cycles, and the morphology of carrier was not changed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1334–1339, 2006     

Immobilization of lipase onto metal–organic frameworks for enantioselective hydrolysis and transesterification

Enzyme immobilization enhances the catalytic activity and stability of the enzyme, and also improves reusability. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which possess diversified structures and porosity, have been used as excellent carriers for enzyme immobilization. Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase (PFL) has been successfully immobilized onto MOFs by covalent cross-linking to obtain a series of immobilized lipase (PFL@MOFs). PFL@MOFs are used for catalytic enantioselective hydrolysis of 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid ethyl ester enantiomers (2-HPPAEE) in aqueous medium and transesterification of 4-methoxymandelic acid enantiomers (4-MMA) in organic medium. The experimental results indicated that PFL@Uio-66(Zr) exhibits excellent enzymatic catalysis performances and high enantioselectives. In addition, to improve catalytic activity and reusability, PFL is modified by the polyethylene glycol (PEG) to prepare PEG-modified lipase (PFL-PEG), then PFL-PEG is immobilized onto Uio-66(Zr) to prepare PFL-PEG@Uio-66(Zr), demonstrating better reusability and catalytic activity compared with PFL@Uio-66(Zr).     

Liver alcohol dehydrogenase immobilized on polyvinylidene difluoride

A physical method for immobilization of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) by hydrophobic adsorption onto a supporting membrane of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) was performed. Simultaneously, a physicochemical characterization of the immobilized enzyme regarding its kinetic behaviour was performed. The activity/pH profile observed points to an effect of pH on activity that is completely different from the case of ADH in solution. The disturbance in the typical bell-shaped profile owing to the fact that the enzyme was immobilized is explained on the basis of a potent limitation to the diffusion of the protons in the support. The findings of the present work also reveal the existence of an effect that limits free external diffusion of the substrate towards and/or the product from the support; this effect seems to be the determinant of the overall rate of the enzymatic reaction and is thus of great importance in the effective kinetic behaviour (v([S])) of immobilized ADH, whose kinetic behaviour is complex (non-Michaelian), as may be seen from the lack of linearity observed in the corresponding double reciprocal and Eadie-Hofstee plots. By non-linear regression numerical analysis of the v([S]) data and application of the F-test for model discrimination, the minimum rate equation necessary to describe the intrinsic kinetic behaviour ofPVDF-immobilized ADH proved to be one of the polynomial quotient type of degree 2:2 (in substrate concentration).     

Immobilization of polyphenol oxidase on carboxymethylcellulose hydrogel beads: preparation and characterization

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) beads were prepared by a liquid curing method in the presence of trivalent ferric ions, and epicholorohydrin was covalently attached to the CMC beads. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was then covalently immobilized onto CMC beads. The enzyme loading was 603 µg g⁻¹ bead and the retained activity of the immobilized enzyme was found to be 44%. The K_m values were 0.65 and 0.87 mM for the free and the immobilized enzyme, and the V_max values were found to be 1890 and 760 U mg⁻¹ for the free and the immobilized enzyme, respectively. The optimum pH was 6.5 for the free and 7.0 for the immobilized enzyme. The optimum reaction temperature for the free enzyme was 40 °C and for the immobilized enzyme was 45 °C. Immobilization onto CMC hydrogel beads made PPO more stable to heat and storage, implying that the covalent immobilization imparted higher conformational stability to the enzyme. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enhancement of Alkaline Protease Activity and Stability via Covalent Immobilization onto Hollow Core-Mesoporous Shell Silica Nanospheres

The stability and reusability of soluble enzymes are of major concerns, which limit their industrial applications. Herein, alkaline protease from Bacillus sp. NPST-AK15 was immobilized onto hollow core-mesoporous shell silica (HCMSS) nanospheres. Subsequently, the properties of immobilized proteases were evaluated. Non-, ethane- and amino-functionalized HCMSS nanospheres were synthesized and characterized. NPST-AK15 was immobilized onto the synthesized nano-supports by physical and covalent immobilization approaches. However, protease immobilization by covalent attachment onto the activated HCMSS–NH₂ nanospheres showed highest immobilization yield (75.6%) and loading capacity (88.1 μg protein/mg carrier) and was applied in the further studies. In comparison to free enzyme, the covalently immobilized protease exhibited a slight shift in the optimal pH from 10.5 to 11.0, respectively. The optimum temperature for catalytic activity of both free and immobilized enzyme was seen at 60 °C. However, while the free enzyme was completely inactivated when treated at 60 °C for 1 h the immobilized enzyme still retained 63.6% of its initial activity. The immobilized protease showed higher V_max, k_cat and k_cat/K_m, than soluble enzyme by 1.6-, 1.6- and 2.4-fold, respectively. In addition, the immobilized protease affinity to the substrate increased by about 1.5-fold. Furthermore, the enzyme stability in various organic solvents was significantly enhanced upon immobilization. Interestingly, the immobilized enzyme exhibited much higher stability in several commercial detergents including OMO, Tide, Ariel, Bonux and Xra by up to 5.2-fold. Finally, the immobilized protease maintained significant catalytic efficiency for twelve consecutive reaction cycles. These results suggest the effectiveness of the developed nanobiocatalyst as a candidate for detergent formulation and peptide synthesis in non-aqueous media.     

Improvement in the Cleaning Performance Towards Protein Soils in Laundry Detergents by Protease Immobilization on the Silica Nanoparticles

This work aimed to understand the effect of protease immobilization on silica nanoparticles and how such immobilization affects protease performance as catalysis for enhancing the removal of protein soils. Detergent products contain many components that may affect the free enzyme activity and stability. Various factors such as temperature, pH and humidity are know to affect enzyme activity and cleaning efficiency. Therefore, the effect of enzyme immobilization on the removal of protein based soil was investigated on cotton fabrics as the model soil. The effect of temperature and humidity on the stability of free and immobilized enzyme was compared. It was found that the immobilized enzyme increased cleaning efficiency toward protein soil removal on cotton fabrics, whereas the free enzyme imposed a small effect on the enzymatic activity towards the same soil substrates. In addition, the stability of the immobilized enzyme against temperature and humidity was much higher than its corresponding value by free enzyme.