The trapped enzymes, then, are still accessible for chemical reactions. And the water in the pores of the glass gives the enzymes the aqueous environment they need to carry out those reactions. The glass has become a biologically active system. He compares the process to painting on a blank canvas. But once the enzymes are immobilized in a glass in stable form, they will maintain their structure even when exposed to conditions, such as heat or acidity, that would normally denature them.
Most industrial processes tend to occur at high pressures and temperatures.
Encapsulating the enzymes in a glass might make it possible to use them. Bioactive sol-gels were first applied as quick, inexpensive biosensors. Because the glasses are transparent, any color change resulting from a chemical reaction indicates the presence of a given substance. For example, putting the enzyme glucose oxidase inside a sol-gel makes the gel a light yellow color. When the gel is dipped into a glucose solution, glucose molecules move in through the pores and the enzyme begins to react with them.