Focusing on papain release in the intestine: The effects of Chitinous materials on alginate microsphere properties

Abstract

SummaryExogenous enzymes, accompanied by a function of assisting digestion, can be employed in therapeutic application which supplement the daily diet for the patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. To prevent the degradation of the enzymes in gastric fluid, papain was encapsulated into alginate microspheres with the external wrap of chitin nanocrystals. The protective effect of the assembled alginate microspheres (PAM‐ChNC) on papain was studied and compared with traditional chitosan‐coated alginate microspheres (PAM‐Ch). Scanning electron microscopy results showed that ChNC could form a dense structure on the surface of alginate microspheres. The swelling rate of PAM‐ChNC was lower than that of PAM‐Ch at pH 1.2. The effect of papain (encapsulated in microspheres) on the digestion of myofibrillar protein gels (MP) was investigated by in vitro digestion. The results showed that the degree of hydrolysis of MP + PAM‐ChNC was significantly higher than that of MP+ PAM‐Ch, indicating that PAM‐ChNC was expected to become a controlled release system for oral exogenous enzymes that assist digestion.