Chitin and chitosan-based support materials for enzyme immobilization and biotechnological applications

Abstract

Enzymes of industrial importance are primarily employed for biotechnological applications. However, high-cost and instability issues of purified enzymes hamper their usage. Multiple reuses rather than the single use is more�cost-effective. A�robuster bioprocess is feasible by enzyme immobilization. Performance of immobilized enzymes depends on the nature of support materials. Chitin and its derivatives-based supports offer stability and cost-effective bioprocessing. Chitosan is�biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic and has�multiple functional groups. A variety of supports such as chitosan, chitosan film, chitosan nanoparticle and chitosan nanocomposite are employed for enzyme immobilization. Chitosan bound enzymes, as compared to free enzymes, have improved the�biocatalytic performances due to exceptionally high operational stability and reusability. Here we review enzymes immobilized on chitin/chitosan supporting materials with�applications ranging from agriculture to drug delivery. � 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.