A comparative study of immobilized amyloglucosidase in a packed bed reactor and a continuous feed stirred tank reactor

Abstract The catalytic activity of amyloglucosidase covalently attached to DEAE‐cellulose was studied in a packed bed reactor and a continuous feed stirred tank reactor (CSTR) for the reaction maltose → glucose. At low flow rates mass‐transfer limitations in the bed reactor lead to lower conversions for this reactor compared to the CSTR. Simple theoretical expressions for these reactors were compared with the experimental results. There are significant differences between the kinetic parameters and pH profile of the immobilized and free enzyme. The immobilized enzyme also showed greater stability at 50°C than did free amyloglucosidase. The temperature dependence of the reaction rate was the same for immobilized and free enzyme.