Enzyme Technology

Code: QUI13614L

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Biochemistry

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Learning Goals

The aim of this program course is to provide the students with Knowledge on enzymes technology to understand genetic concepts and industrial application on the enzymatic field. Students will be able to Know and understanding the main biotechnological concepts applied to the enzyme production and protein engineering technologies. Students will be able to execute laboratorial projects, solving theoretical problems applied to the isolation, purification and characterization of enzymes produced by microorganisms and apply the acquired knowledge to a new situations correlated to Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Medicine.
This curricular unit also intends to develop a set of skills to collect, select and interpret relevant scientific information, and communicate ideas and scientific knowledge, orally and written, organized in a coherent and logical form, about matters within the scope of the unit.

Enzymes properties and kinetics (revision).
Enzyme production: Sources of enzymes; advantages and disadvantages of enzyme production and extraction from microbial strains, plants and animals. Factors affecting enzyme production from microbial sources. Optimization of enzyme production. Enzyme production by fermentation. Submerged and solid state fermentations. Extraction and purification of enzymes. Downstream processing. Removal of cells, purification and final isolation. Chromatographic techniques: Affinity, immunoaffinity, ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction, gel filtration and immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC).
Chemical modification of proteins. Protein engineering: site-directed mutagenesis of enzyme gene and overproduction of transformed enzymes.
Immobilization of biocatalysts. Methods of immobilization. Advantages and disadvantages of immobilized enzymes and cells.
Reactors for immobilized and free biocatalysts. Industrial applications of biocatalysts.

Teaching Methods

The teaching is based on theoretical, practical and tutorials classes. The laboratory classes are coordinated and complementary to the theoretical, applying the subjects in concrete practical situations. The tutorial guidelines will serve to support scientific-pedagogical monitoring of students, particularly in implementing a complementary and integrator work.

The evaluation process will be based on the individual work and on the progress in the theoretical and practical components of this curricular unit. Practical component, only by continuous assessment, will be evaluated based on the student assiduity, previous preparation and planning of experimental work and laboratorial work team performance.
The individual final evaluation will be calculated by: a) Realization of 2 tests or an exam (60%); b) Practical evaluation (40%).