Characterization of magnetic particles of azocasein-iron composite for protease purification

Abstract

Research on magnetic particles has expanded over the years. These particles have several properties, such as low cost, fast preparation and use time, high surface area, and easy separation, which allow them to be employed in the purification of molecules, for example, enzymes. In this work, magnetic particles of azocasein-iron composite were produced, characterized and used in the purification of a microbial protease. The particle characterization was performed using the established techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A purification rate of 11.64 was achieved by the use of magnetic particles in comparison to the crude extract. The recovery rate was very low but was higher when compared to the traditional, expensive, and slow DEAE-Sepharose column purification.