Hydrogel microspheres immobilized lipase inspired by golf ball surfaces for the deacidification of Antarctic krill oil

Lipase-catalyzed esterification for enhancing oil quality has garnered extensive attention due to its eco-friendly and efficient merits. Nevertheless, during the catalytic esterification process at the oil-water interface to reduce acid value, the immobilized lipase is prone to detachment as a result of continuous mechanical agitation. In this study, inspired by the aerodynamic theory of golf ball surfaces, a novel immobilized enzyme system is designed and fabricated to improve the quality of Antarctic krill oil and prolong its storage time. The surface of the poly-pullulan hydrogel microspheres is chemically modified to expose numerous active reaction sites, forming a pitted structure similar to that of a golf ball. These pits on the surface of the microspheres can effectively mitigate the impact of the oil phase fluid on the immobilized enzyme on the surface of the carriers during the catalytic process, reducing lipase shedding and enhancing the catalytic reuse rate of the immobilized enzyme system. The obtained immobilized enzyme microspheres can still retain 70.1 % of the initial activity after 10 reuses. The high acid value of Antarctic krill oil (10.14mgKOH/g) can be effectively esterified and deacidified, and the acid value can be decreased to 2.18mgKOH/g.