Polysaccharides based microspheres for multiple encapsulations and simultaneous release of proteases

Abstract

The work is focused on the development of microspheres based on the combination of two polysaccharides; chitosan and alginic acid with the aim to allocate, hold, release and protect environmentally sensible molecules. The microspheres were prepared using a solvent-free, low cost and scalable approach and two enzymes; trypsin and protease from Aspergillus Oryzae have been used as a model to evaluate the microspheres peculiarities. The proteins were encapsulated during the microspheres preparation. The relationship between the polysaccharides weight ratio and the morphology, stability and ability of the carrier to allocate the enzymes has been evaluated. The enzymatic activity and the release kinetics were assessed in different conditions to assess the impact of the external environment. Obtained results demonstrate the efficacy of the prepared microspheres to preserve the activity of relevant bioactive compounds which are highly relevant in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutic, but the application is limited due to their high sensibility.