Electrospun poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) nanofibers for β-D-galactosidase immobilization and enzymatic transgalactosylation

Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) nanofibers with a uniform diameter of about 400 nm were prepared by eletrospinning a solution containing 50 % (w/v) polymer and 1% (w/v) LiCl, 25 cm gap between jection needle tip and collector, a flow rate of 200 μL/h, and an applied voltage of 24 kV. β-D- galactosidase was immobilized to the electrospun nanofibers and subsequently used for synthesizing hexyl-galactoside, an important nonionic surfactants, by catalyzing the transgalactosylation reaction between hexanol and lactose. Co-electrospun LiCl was found leading to a significant enhancement in the enzyme loading and activity of the immobilized β-D-galactosidase compared to nanofiber without LiCl. After 7 reusing cycles at 37°C, the immobilized enzyme retained about 33% of its original activity.