Work

Shellac-chitosan microgel-immobilized lipase for sustainable synthesis of sucrose laurate via pickering interfacial catalysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Sucrose fatty acid esters are increasingly valued as multifunctional surfactants, nutraceuticals, and bacteriostats due to their emulsifying and antimicrobial properties. While enzymatic synthesis provides an eco-friendly route to high-purity esters, challenges remain in optimizing lipase activity, reusability, and mass transfer. This study introduces a novel edible biomaterials-based catalytic system: lipase immobilized within shellac nanoparticle-coated chitosan microgels (SCL) for synthesizing sucrose laurate via Pickering interfacial catalysis (PIC). SCL stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, with sucrose and vinyl laurate partitioned into aqueous and oil phases, respectively. Structural characterization (SEM, CLSM, Cryo-SEM) revealed SCL’s localization at the O/W interface, with preferential oil-phase immersion and ordered interfacial alignment. Optimized conditions yielded a conversion rate of 55.35 ± 1.88%, and the immobilized lipase retained >80% activity over four cycles. Purified via solvent extraction and chromatography, the product was confirmed as 6-sucrose monolaurate (through FT-IR, NMR, XRD, and TG-DSC). Comparative analysis demonstrated its superior air/water interfacial stabilization versus commercial sucrose monoesters, evidenced by lower critical micelle concentration (cmc), enhanced emulsifying/foaming capacity, and improved pH/thermal stability. This SCL-based PIC system offers a sustainable, high-efficiency platform for synthesizing functional sucrose esters with performance exceeding industry standards.

Source: LWT

DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2025.118352