Engineering Encapsulation Technology for Animal Feed Manufacture
Enzymes are important catalysts for biological processes due to their high catalytic activity and selectivity. However, their low thermal stability has limited their industrial applications.
The project aims to develop a simple and effective method for the immobilization of enzyme using microencapsulation. This encapsulation technology will not only significantly improve the thermal stability of enzyme but also achieve a high enzyme loading capacity and a high bioavailability.
Current projects
Mr Yilun Weng
Engineering encapsulation technology for animal feed manufacture
Primary investigator
Mr Yilun Weng
PhD Student (University of Queensland) - Industry PhD with BioProton
Project abstract
Bioactive materials such as enzymes are widely used in the manufacturing processes or as additives in food and animal feed industries, for their high biological functionality and selectivity. However, these essential materials are sensitive to environmental stress such as heat and pressure, which greatly reduces their activity, limiting their industrial applications. Encapsulation is an emerging technique that protects the sensitive materials against environmental stress by providing a “shield” outside the bioactive molecules. This project supported by BioProton Pty Ltd will aim to develop a novel formulation for encapsulation of enzymes. The research starts with lab-scale experiments for the synthesis and stability evaluation of encapsulated enzyme particles. Then, industrial trials and animal trials are conducted to determine the effectiveness of the encapsulation method. In the end, this project focuses on seeking scale-up possibilities for the encapsulation technique developed in laboratory.