Abstract
Iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were found to exhibit an intrinsic yeast lytic activity with enzyme kinetics similar to that of natural zymolyase. The Fe3O4 MNPs were synthesized by a co-precipitation method and were then employed to catalyze the disruption of yeast cells. The Fe3O4 MNPs accelerated the biocatalytic reaction to completion within 10 min. Compared to natural zymolyase, the newly discovered biocatalytic activity of Fe3O4 was outstanding and remained stable against temperature and pH changes. More importantly, Fe3O4 MNPs with excellent activity could be successfully synthesized using a high-gravity co-precipitation method promising for large scale production in industrial applications. Considering its cost-effectiveness and ease of preparation, Fe3O4 was expected to show great potential for the digestion of yeast cell walls through serving as nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes or nanozymes.
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