The effect of a quiescent microgravity fluid environment on the activi
ty of collagenase directed at demineralized bone fragments was investi
gated over a period of 10 days. Enzyme treatment resulted in greater m
ass loss in microgravity, with nearly three times the loss of mass dur
ing Space Shuttle mission STS-62 compared to the stationary ground con
trol. Clinorotation enhanced the loss of mass relative to a stationary
control, but this increase was still significantly less than the incr
ease with exposure to microgravity. This suggests the detrimental infl
uence of turbulence on the enzyme function and the benefit of using mi
crogravity to provide both low turbulence and uniformity of unequally
dense materials within the reaction chamber. The results a reconsidere
d for their general applicability to a variety of bioprocessing applic
ations that may be enhanced in microgravity. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Son
s, Inc.