Malic enzyme immobilization in continuous capillary membrane reactors

Abstract The oxydative decarboxylation of L-malic acid is a fundamental step in malolactic fermentation, which in turn is a process of great importance in the food and wine industry for the production of fruit juices and wines of fair organoleptic properties. Experiments were carried out on L-malic acid decarboxylation catalyzed by malic enzyme (E.C.1.1.1.40) immobilized using three different techniques. A kinetic analysis was performed in order to define an enzyme reactor system suitable for development and practical applications. In this preliminary investigation, the stability of the immobilized enzyme compared with that of the native enzyme was investigated, as were the optimal operating conditions.