Immobilization of Enzymes and Cells Methods and Protocols

This fourth edition volume expands on the previous editions with new insights on important aspects to take into accounting when immobilizing enzymes and cells, illustrating outstanding examples that support those aspects, and exploring ways to fabricate and characterize heterogeneous biocatalysts including both immobilized enzymes and cells. The transformation of soluble and usually instable enzymes into heterogeneous and highly stable biocatalysts is strongly emphasized. The chapters in this book cover topics such as the importance of enzyme orientation on the support surface; application and characterization of immobilized enzymes; different functionalization chemistries for the modulation of the immobilized enzyme properties; co-immobilization of multi-enzyme systems; new analytical techniques for the characterization of heterogeneous biocatalysts; protocols for cell entrapment in alginate; preparation and characterization of biofilms; and cell encapsulation technologies.Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.