Low-temperature enzymatic glycosylation minimizes AGEs in gelatin modification: Structure-function relationships

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Gelatin, a widely used biopolymer, possesses desirable properties but can be limited by its functional characteristics.
• Chitosan, another biopolymer, offers unique properties that could complement gelatin.
• Enzymatic glycosylation is a potential method for modifying biopolymer properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of low-temperature enzymatic glycosylation using chitosan on gelatin's physicochemical attributes.
• To explore the structural and functional modifications induced by this process.

Main Methods:

• Enzymatic N-glycosylation of gelatin with chitosan was performed at -10 °C using chymopapain.
• Structural changes were analyzed using techniques like Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
• Physicochemical properties including syneresis, water-holding capacity, swelling power, antioxidant activity (ABTS+/DPPH), emulsion activity, and surface hydrophobicity were evaluated.

Main Results:

• Successful N-glycosylation of gelatin with chitosan was confirmed, altering gelatin's conformational and secondary structures.
• The gelatin/chitosan conjugate (Ge-Ch-5:1) exhibited significantly reduced syneresis (14.2%) and enhanced water-holding capacity (89.5%), swelling power (2197%), and antioxidant radical clearance (93.8% ABTS+, 88.3% DPPH).
• Emulsion activity index improved to 0.99, and surface hydrophobicity increased to 33.45, although melting and gelling properties were reduced.

Conclusions:

• Low-temperature enzymatic glycosylation is an effective method for modifying gelatin's physicochemical properties.
• The resulting gelatin-chitosan conjugates show improved functional attributes, including enhanced water binding, antioxidant capacity, and emulsifying properties.
• While thermal and gelling properties were reduced, the overall modifications suggest potential applications for enhanced gelatin-based materials.