Preparation of protein membranes containing microbial cells

Claim 1

A process for producing an enzymatically active membrane, which comprises the steps of: dispersing whole microbial cells in an inert solvent medium such that said dispersion contains from 0.5% to 10% by weight whole microbial cells; heating said dispersion of whole microbial cells at a temperature of 80° to 90°C for at least 10 minutes to destroy the protoelytic activity of said cells; dispersing a protein selected from the group consisting of collagen, zein, casein, ovalbumin, wheat gluten, fibrinogen, myosin and mucoprotein, or a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of polyglutamate, polyaspartate, polyphenylalanine, polytyrosine and a copolymer of leucine and p-aminophenylalanine in an inert solvent medium such that said dispersion contains from 0.1% to 5% by weight protein or polypeptide; adjusting the pH of said dispersion of a protein or a polypeptide to a pH of from 2-12 such that a net electrical charge exists between said protein or polypeptide and said whole microbial cells when said whole cell dispersion and said polypeptide or protein dispersion are combined; mixing said dispersions of whole microbial cells and protein or polypeptide; casting said mixed dispersions into a membrane; and drying said membrane, whereby bonding occurs between said cells and polypeptide or protein by the accumulative effect of multiple hydrogen bonds, salt linkages and van der Walls interactions, wherein the bonding forces effect immobilization of said whole microbial cells to the protein or polypeptide of said membrane.