Pingmei Guo

Immobilization of Candida rugosa lipase on hydrophobic/strong cation-exchange functional silica particles for biocatalytic synthesis of phytosterol esters

In this work, mixed-mode silica particles functionalized with octyl and sulfonic acid groups was conveniently prepared by co-bonding a mixture of n-octyltriethoxysilane and 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane and then oxidized with hydrogen peroxide. Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was immobilized on the mixed-mode silica particles via hydrophobic and strong cation-exchange interaction. The resulting immobilized CRL increased remarkably its stability at high temperature in comparison to free CRL. The immobilized CRL was used as biocatalysts for enzymatic esterification of phytosterols with free fatty acids (FFAs) to produce phytosterol esters. The phytosterols linolenate esterification degree of 95.3% was obtained under the optimized condition. Phytosterols esters could also been converted in high yields to the corresponding long-chain acyl esters via transesterification with methyl esters of fatty acids (80.5%) or triacylglycerols (above 95.5%) using mixed-mode silica particles immobilized CRL as biocatalyst. Furthermore, the immobilized CRL by absorption retained 78.6% of their initial activity after 7 recycles.

Ultrasonic pretreatment for lipase-catalyed synthesis of phytosterol esters with different acyl donors

This study is focused on the enzymatic esterification of phytosterols with different acyl donors to produce the corresponding phytosterol esters catalyzed by Canadia sp. 99-125 lipase under ultrasound irradiation. An ultrasonic frequency of 35 kHz, power of 200 W and time of 1h was determined to guarantee satisfactory degree of esterification and lipase activity. The influence of temperature, substrates concentration and molar ratio was investigated subsequently. The optimum production was achieved in isooctane system at 60°C with phytosterol concentration of 150 μmol/mL and phytosterol to fatty acid molar ratio of 1:1.5, resulting in a phytosterol esters conversion of above 85.7% in short reaction time (8h). Phytosterols esters could also be converted in high yields to the corresponding long-chain acyl esters via transesterification with triacylglycerols (above 90.3%) under ultrasound irradiation. In optimum conditions, the overall esterification reaction rate using the ultrasonic pretreatment process was above 2-fold than that of mechanical stirring process without damage the lipase activity.

Lipase Immobilization on Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymer-Coated Silica for Biocatalytic Synthesis of Phytosterol Esters with Controllable Fatty Acid Composition

In this study, a novel mixed-mode composite material, SiO(2)@P(MAA-co-VBC-co-DVB), was prepared via the hyper-cross-linking of its precursor, which was produced via suspension polymerization in the presence of SiO(2) particles. Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was immobilized on the SiO(2)@P(MAA-co-VBC-co-DVB) particles via hydrophobic and weak cation-exchange interaction. The resulting immobilized CRL showed much better thermal stability and reusability in comparison to free CRL. On the basis of the excellent biocatalyst prepared, a method for high-efficiency enzymatic esterification of phytosterols with different fatty acids to produce the corresponding phytosterol esters was developed. Six phytosterol esters with conversions above 92.1% and controllable fatty acid composition were obtained under the optimized conditions: 80 μmol/mL phytosterols, 160 μmol/mL linolenic acid, and 15 mg/mL CRL@HPCS at 300 rpm and 50 °C for 7 h in 30 mL of isooctane. The prepared phytosterol esters possessed a low acid value (≤0.86 mg of KOH/g), peroxide value (≤3.3 mequiv/kg), and conjugated diene value (≤1.74 mmol/kg) and high purity (≥97.8%) and fatty solubility (≥28.9 g/100 mL). All the characteristics favored the wide application of phytosterol esters with controllable fatty acid composition in different fields of functional food.

A facile and efficient strategy for the fabrication of porous linseed gum/cellulose superabsorbent hydrogels for water conservation

The linseed gum/cellulose composite hydrogels were successfully fabricated by mixing cellulose and linseed gum solutions dissolved in the NaOH/urea aqueous system and cross-linked with epichlorohydrin. The morphology and structure of the composite hydrogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling ratio and water retention properties were investigated. The results revealed that linseed gum mainly contributed to water adsorption, whereas the cellulose acted as a backbone to strengthen the porous structure. This work provided a simple way to prepare cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogels, which could be potentially applied as an effective water conservation material in agriculture.