Naringinase is an enzyme complex which exhibits α-l-rhamnosidase and β-d-glucosidase activity. This enzymatic complex catalyzes the hydrolysis of naringin (4',5,7-trihydroxy flavanone 7-rhamnoglucoside), the main bittering component in grapefruit. Reduction of the level of this substance during the processing of juice has been the focus of many studies. The aim of the study was the immobilization of naringinase on chitosan microspheres activated with glutaraldehyde and, finally, the use of such immobilized enzyme for debittering grapefruit juice. The effect of naringinase concentration and characterization of the immobilized enzyme compared to the soluble enzyme were investigated. The maximum activity was observed at optimum pH 4.0 for both free and immobilized naringinase. However, the optimum temperature was shifted from 70 to 40 °C upon immobilization. The KM value of the immobilized naringinase was higher than that of soluble naringinase. The immobilization did not change the thermal stability of the enzyme. The immobilized naringinase had good operational stability. This preparation retained 88.1 ± 2.8% of its initial activity after ten runs of naringin hydrolysis from fresh grapefruit juice. The results indicate that naringinase immobilized on chitosan has potential applicability for debittering and improving the sensory properties of grapefruit juices.
Keywords: chitosan microspheres; debittering; grapefruit juice; immobilization; naringinase.