SCREENING OF CONCANAVALIN-A BEAD CELLULOSE CONJUGATES USING AN ENZYMETHERMISTOR WITH IMMOBILIZED INVERTASE AS THE REPORTER CATALYST

Screening and design of immobilized biocatalysts (IMBs) is a time-cons uming process. An ideal process should be universal, fast, convenient, precise, and reproducible. Many of these requirements are met by enzy mic flow microcalorimeters, also known as enzyme thermistors (ETs) or thermal assay probes (TAPs). Adaptation of ETs to real measurements of reaction rates requires coupling of the mathematical description of t he reaction-diffusion phenomena in the ET column with heat balance and , subsequently, experimental verification of the mathematical model. T his article presents such a process developed as an adaptation of ETs for the characterization of the microkinetic properties of IMBs and th eir further application for screening of IMBs. The IMBs characterized were the preparations of invertase, biospecificaly adsorbed on concana valin A conjugated to activated bead cellulose. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.