Enhanced Thermal and Storage Stability of Glucose Oxidase via Encapsulation in Chitosan-Coated Alginate and Carboxymethyl Cellulose Gel Particles

Glucose oxidase (GOD) is widely used as an important oxidoreductase in various fields. However, maintaining the vitality and stability of GOD under environmental stress is a challenge. To improve the thermal and storage stability of GOD, this study constructed sodium alginate–carboxymethyl cellulose sodium gel particles (SA/CMC) and chitosan-coated SA/CMC gel particles (CS/SA/CMC) of GOD. The encapsulation efficiency (EE), gel particle structure, stability, and release behavior of GOD were evaluated. The results showed that the thermal stability of GOD encapsulated in SA/CMC and CS/SA/CMC gel particles was improved by approximately 2.8-fold and 4.3-fold compared with the free enzyme at 85 °C, respectively. In addition, CS/SA/CMC gel particles enhanced the enzyme activity retention rate of GOD to over 80% during storage at 4 °C for four weeks. Both SA/CMC and CS/SA/CMC gel particles loaded with GOD had more than 70% of the enzymes released during the simulated gastrointestinal experiment. The results demonstrated that encapsulating GOD in SA/CMC and CS/SA/CMC gel particles could improve its thermal stability and storage stability, which is conducive to further expanding the application of GOD in food, pharmaceutical and feed industries.