Assessment of gum Arabic and agar gum as binders for the immobilization of α -amylase

The use of gum arabic and agar gum as binders for the immobilization of α -amylase on carrier support was studied in a pilot glass reactor. The result showed that gum arabic binder sustained enzyme activity up to 24hrs while agar gum could not exceed 20 hrs. The t1/2 and residual activity after 4 cycles of refuse were 94hrs, 98% (R2=93%) and 5.3hrs, 13% (R2=89%) for gum arabic and agar gum systems. The work conclude that gum arabic is superior to agar gum both for immobilizing α -amylase on a support carrier and for predicting system operations.