Thermodynamics of partitioning of chitinase and laminarinase in a soya lecithin liposome system and their antifungal effect against Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

The goal of the present work was to compare the partitioning behavior of chitinase and laminarinase (from Trichoderma spp.) in soya lecithin liposomes at different temperatures and examine the activity of the resulting microencapsulated enzymes against Fusarium oxysporum. In both cases the partition coefficients (K_o/w) were greater than 1, indicating affinity of the enzymes for microencapsulation in liposomes. Enthalpy calculations indicated that the process was endothermic in the case of laminarinase and exothermic in the case of chitinase. Soya lecithin liposomes were stable for more than 20 days. The stability of the immobilized enzyme was increased in the case of chitinase, but was not changed in the case of laminarinase. Although the antifungal effects of individual immobilized preparations decreased after microencapsulation compared with non-immobilized enzymes, they were increased by the synergistic effect of both encapsulated enzymes. The application of free or immobilized enzymes was also shown to enhance the inhibitory effect of the chemical fungicide, thiabendazole, on F. oxysporum.