Analytical settings for in-flow biocatalytic reaction monitoring

The interest towards in-flow biocatalytic processes using immobilised enzyme reactors (IMERs) has grown significantly over the past ten years. In an IMER, the enzyme is immobilized on a suitable chromatographic support, where the catalytic reaction occurs. Interfacing IMERs to a second dimension in integrated analytical systems represents a valuable way to monitor reactions with the advantage of automation, reproducibility, and robustness. This review explores the recent achievements on the development and applications of different analytical set-up for the in-line and on-line monitoring of in-flow bioreactions. The preparation of IMERs is briefly described together with the analytical platforms used to study enzymatic substrate specificity, reaction optimization and kinetic parameters. The review is divided in two parts, one devoted to spectroscopic and spectrometric methods and the other to separative methods. The selected examples illustrate that integration of IMERs in analytical platforms may widespread the industrial applications of biocatalyzed reactions.