Stabilization of food dispersions by enzymes

Abstract

Food dispersions have become essential vehicles to carry and deliver functional ingredients such as bioactive compounds, flavors, antimicrobials, antioxidants, colors and vitamins. Most of these systems are thermodynamically unstable tending to break down over time. Much research has therefore been carried out to develop methodologies to improve their long-term stability. In this review, we will introduce readers to a new approach that has been developed over the past years to stabilize food dispersions, i.e. by use of various enzymes. First, basic design principles of modern food dispersions including conventional emulsions, multiple emulsions, multilayered emulsions, solid lipid particle suspensions, and liposomes are discussed. Enzymes able to generate intra- and intermolecular crosslinks between proteins and/or polysaccharides will be reviewed and specific reactions catalyzed by, e.g., transglutaminase, laccase, tyrosinase, sulfhydryl oxidase, glucose oxidase, lipoxygenase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and lysyl oxidase will be highlighted. Finally, potential applications of this enzymatic approach in the food industry will be critically discussed.

Biopolymer nanoparticles as potential delivery systems for anthocyanins: Fabrication and properties

“…After phase separation has occurred, biopolymer particle characteristics (such as size, shape, and composition) may be modulated by further processing steps, e.g., aging, shearing, or extrusion (Norton & Frith, 2001;Scholten, Sagis, & van der Linden, 2006). Finally, the stability of biopolymer particles may be enhanced after they have been formed by altering solution conditions to induce internal biopolymer crosslinking, e.g., enzymatically, chemically, or physically (Coviello, Matricardi, Marianecci, & Alhaique, 2007;Norton & Frith, 2001;Zeeb, Fischer, & Weiss, 2014). As mentioned above, the biopolymer particles fabricated using these various methods may be specifically designed for encapsulating, protecting, and releasing bioactive agents, or they may be used as functional ingredients to alter the texture, stability, or appearance of food products.…”

Size Separation Techniques for the Characterisation of Cross-Linked Casein: A Review of Methods and Their Applications

“…The economically feasible production of a calcium-independent TGase from microbial origin together with its mild reaction optima (pH ~ 6-7, ~ 40-50 °C) led to increased utilisation in the food industry [21,22]. The reaction mechanisms and possible applications in dairy products and other protein-based foods were extensively reviewed in the past, e.g., [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Besides the characterisation of the polymers, the number of cross-links formed by TGase can also be determined.…”

Designing hydrogel particles for controlled or targeted release of lipophilic bioactive agents in the gastrointestinal tract

“…Proteins and polysaccharides can sometimes be covalently cross-linked by using certain types of chemical additives, such as gluteraldehyde or genipin [106]. Specific enzymes may also be used to cross-link biopolymers and form hydrogels, such as transglutaminase, laccase, and various oxidases [107]. Hydrogel properties such as opacity, rheology, and pore size can therefore be controlled by varying the extent of covalent cross-linking of the biopolymer molecules.…”