Enzyme Immobilisation

This lesson covers:

  1. What enzyme immobilisation is 
  2. The advantages of enzyme immobilisation
  3. The example of immobilising lactose to produce lactose-free milk

What is enzyme immobilisation?

Enzymes are crucial in various industries such as medicine, food technology, and industrial processing. However, they can be very expensive, which is why companies are finding ways to recycle and reuse enzymes.


One such method is enzyme immobilisation, which involves attaching or enclosing an enzyme onto a solid support or matrix. This allows for the reuse of the enzyme and increases its stability. 

Advantages of immobilising enzymes:

  1. Cost-effective - Immobilising enzymes allows for the reuse of enzymes, reducing the need to continually purchase new enzymes.
  2. Product purity - Immobilisation produces enzyme-free products, avoiding contamination of the product with the enzyme.
  3. Improved stability - Immobilised enzymes are more tolerant of temperature and pH changes than enzymes in solution, making them more stable and less likely to denature.

Immobilising lactase

Milk contains lactose, a sugar that some people cannot properly digest. To create lactose-free milk, companies often remove lactose by immobilising the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose.


Here are the steps involved:

  1. The lactase enzyme is attached to alginate beads to 'immobilise' it.
  2. The lactase-containing beads are packed into a column.
  3. Milk is allowed to flow through the column.
  4. Lactase breaks down the lactose in the milk into glucose and galactose, producing lactose-free milk.
  5. The lactase remains in the column, allowing more milk to be processed continually.
  6. The lactose-free milk can then be used to make dairy products for lactose-intolerant individuals.