Laccase-mediated enhancement of the properties of regenerated fibers from wheat gliadin

Abstract In this study, laccase-mediated crosslinking was used to develop regenerated protein fibers from wheat gliadin with good mechanical properties and water stability. The oxygen consumption during laccase catalyzed oxidation of gliadin, molecular weight of gliadin, mechanical properties, water stability, thermal properties and morphology of gliadin fibers were tested to prove the effect of laccase as the crosslinker of gliadin. The rapid decrease of dissolved oxygen in gliadin solution indicated laccase was active in oxidizing gliadin. The results of SDS-PAGE and SEC demonstrated that laccase-mediated crosslinking reaction effectively occurred. The mechanical properties and water stability of the gliadin fibers with laccase treatment significantly were improved. The fibers from gliadin with laccase treatment exhibited a much smoother and more uniform surface was observed by SEM for the laccase-mediated modified gliadin fibers.