An ultrasonic inactivation of Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase in aqueous solutions

The inactivation of Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase (GO) was studied in 0.02 M phosphate-citrate buffer (PCB) at various pH, temperatures of 37–59°C, and sonication with low frequency (27 kHz, LF-US) and high frequency (2.64 MHz, HF-US) ultrasound. The GO inactivation was characterized by the effective first-order inactivation rate constantsk in, k*in andk in(us), reflecting the total, thermal, and ultrasonic inactivation components. The constants strongly depended on the pH and temperature of solution, GO concentration, and the presence of acceptors of the free radicals HO·—DMF, DMSO, ethanol, butanol, octanol, and mannitol, confirming that the active radicals formed in the ultrasonic cavitation field played an important role in the GO inactivation. The activation energy in the loss of GO catalytic activity considerably decreased when the enzyme solution was treated with LF-US or HF-US. The dissociative scheme of GO inactivation is discussed. Mannitol can be used for protection of GO from inactivation with LF-US or HF-US in the food industry and immunobiotechnology.