Biocatalysts for the wine industry entrapped on calcium alginate hydrogels

NINAGO, MARIO D.; MARTÍN, M. CAROLINA; MERÍN, M. GABRIELA; MORATA, VILMA INÉS; LOPEZ, OLIVIA D.; ANDRÉS E. CIOLINO; MARCELO A. VILLAR

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires

Simposio; XVI Latin-American Polymer Symposium (SLAP2018), XIV Iberioamerican Polymer Congress (CIP2018); 2018

Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales, INTEMA (UNMdP-CONICET)

Biotechnology, together with the development of new materials, has becomean economic factor that generates significant annual income. Pectinases arewidely used biocatalysts in wine and juice clarification processes to reducethe turbidity of the final product. However, their industrial applicationsinvolve many problems related to recovery and reuses. The great advantage ofthe use of immobilized enzymes with respect to the use of free enzymes is theireasy separation and multiple reuses, transforming them into commercially andindustrially feasible alternatives Particularly, the entrapment of enzymesinside inert calcium alginate beads is a very effective technique due to itsbiocompatibility, low cost and resistance to microbial contamination.