Activation of lactoperoxidase system in milk by glucose oxidase immobilized in electrospun polylactide microfibers.

In this study, glucose oxidase (GOX) was immobilized in polylactide (PLA) fibers that were used to activate the lactoperoxidase (LP) system in milk. The GOX-containing microfibers were electrospun from emulsions prepared by dispersing aqueous GOX in PLA dissolved in a chloroform and N,N-dimethylformamide blend, using sorbitan monopalmitate as an emulsifier. The enzymatic activity of GOX-in-PLA fibers (1100 +/- 400 nm diameter) was more than 19 times higher than that of the GOX-in-PLA membrane formed by direct casting, due to the larger surface area of the electrospun fibers. The activation of LP in model solutions using GOX-in-PLA fibers provided a more sustained generation of antimicrobial OSCN(-) than direct activation using H(2)O(2). Preliminary evaluation on milk samples showed that the electrospun GOX-in-PLA microfibers are capable of activating the naturally present LP system, indicating that they may be promising for active food packaging applications to extend the shelf life of milk.