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Novel Biocatalysts for Environmental and Food Industry Applications

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 568

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Nanosensors and Nanomachines Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nanomachines; molecular gates; drug delivery; nanosensors; electrochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor Assistant
Nanosensors & Nanomachines Group, Department of Chemistry in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: enzymes; nanomaterials; nanosensors; biosensors; electrochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biocatalysts, mainly represented by enzymes and whole cells, are widely used in several industrial processes because they operate under moderate conditions, being less polluting, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing the generation of toxic byproducts. However, these biocatalysts present some drawbacks, including poor stability, difficulty in being reused, and high production and purification costs.

In recent years, significant progress in the design of nanomaterials, biomolecular engineering, and immobilization methods has enabled the development of novel biocatalysts with enhanced properties. These biocatalysts can be easily reused, exhibit improved activity, and are able to operate under more extreme working conditions. All of this has increased the use of these biocatalysts in industrial applications, while maintaining or improving yields and using more economically and environmentally friendly conditions. For these reasons, novel biocatalyst design is an expanding field which has attracted scientific interest.

This Special Issue will focus on the development of novel biocatalysts with improved properties and their application in the environment, including the bioremediation of contaminated water, soils, and even air, as well as the development of less polluting industrial processes. Additionally, the application of novel biocatalysts in the food industry will also be included in this issue, not only in terms of their use in fermentation processes but also in quality control, analysis, and food safety, among others.

Dr. Alfredo Sanchez
Guest Editor

Dr. Irene Ojeda
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • enzymes
  • immobilization
  • novel biocatalysts
  • environmental applications
  • food industry applications
  • bioremediation
  • sustainable processes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 3898 KiB  
Article
Immobilization of Phospholipase D on Fe3O4@SiO2-Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites: A Strategy to Improve Catalytic Stability and Reusability in the Efficient Production of Phosphatidylserine
by Huiyi Shang, Juntan Wang, Bishan Guo, Haihua Zhu and Huijuan Li
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040912 - 16 Feb 2025
Viewed by 393
Abstract
Phospholipase D (PLD) plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylserine (PS), but its practical application is constrained by limitations in stability and reusability. In this study, we successfully fabricated the Fe3O4@SiO2–graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite by [...] Read more.
Phospholipase D (PLD) plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylserine (PS), but its practical application is constrained by limitations in stability and reusability. In this study, we successfully fabricated the Fe3O4@SiO2–graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite by chemical binding of Fe3O4@SiO2 and GO. Subsequently, PLD was immobilized onto the nanocomposite via physical adsorption, with the aim of enhancing catalytic stability, reducing mass transfer resistance, and improving reusability. Under optimal conditions, the immobilization efficiency reached 84.4%, with a PLD loading capacity of 111.4 mg/gsupport. The optimal pH for PS production by immobilized PLD shifted from 6.0 to 6.5, while the optimal temperature increased from 45 °C to 50 °C. Notably, the immobilized PLD demonstrated a shorter reaction time and a higher PS yield, achieving a 95.4% yield within 90 min, compared to the free PLD (78.1% yield within 150 min), representing a 1.04-fold improvement in production efficiency. Furthermore, the immobilized PLD exhibited outstanding storage stability and thermal stability, along with remarkable reusability. Even after being reused for 10 cycles, the PS yield still stays as high as 78.3%. These findings strongly suggest that the Fe3O4@SiO2–GO immobilized PLD has the potential for the efficient production of PS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Biocatalysts for Environmental and Food Industry Applications)
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