Influence of the functionalisation of mesoporous silica material UVM-7 on polyphenol oxidase enzyme capture and enzymatic browning

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO), also known as tyrosinase and catechol oxidase, is the enzyme responsible for enzymatic browning in foods. It causes undesirable organoleptic, nutritional and colour changes. Here, we report the preparation of five nanomaterials and a study of their ability to modulate PPO enzyme activity. The materials consist of UVM-7 supports (a mesoporous silica material) modified with diverse functional groups (i.e. amine, carboxylic acid, isocyanate, alkane and pyridine). We also studied the PPO immobilisation capability of the materials. All the materials, except the carboxylic acid functionalised one, offer high PPO loading capabilities and the immobilisation speed increases with functionalisation. Nevertheless, only a minor effect of the inhibition of enzymatic browning was produced. Furthermore, the amine containing material was able to capture not only PPO, but also the oxidation products. Such behaviour was validated with fresh apple juice in which browning was avoided, even 90 min in the presence of oxygen at room temperature.