Production of inverted sucrose syrup using yeast cells adhered to polyethylenimine treated cotton threads

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Abstract
Yeast cells containing invertase were immobilized on cotton thread waste through adhesion using polyethylenimine (PEI). Cells adhered strongly and were not eluted by change in temperature, ionic concentration or on continuous use for the hydrolysis of sucrose syrup. About 4.4 g of cells could be bound to 10 g of cotton thread. The cotton threads (30 g) containing adhered cells were used in a packed bed column for the continuous hydrolysis of 60% (w/v) sucrose syrup at the rate of about 67 kg per month. At an operational temperature of 45'C the column did not show any decrease in activity for over a month. However, higher temperatures drastically reduced the operational half life of the system. Comparative studies carried out at the same cell loading and under identical operational conditions indicated that adhered cells were more efficient than calcium alginate entrapped cells for the inversion of sucrose.