Tailoring Silica Nanomaterials to Immobilize Lipase as High-performance Feed additives

Supplemental enzymes have become common additives to animal feeds. Among these enzymes, lipase aids fat digestion and subsequent improvement of feed efficiency and animal growth. However, the effectiveness of free lipase is significantly reduced by its limited activity and low resistance to heating process during nutrition pellet fabrication and to strong stomach acid. Immobilization of lipase on silica nanomaterials is regarded as a promising approach to improve lipase activity and stability. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding on the relationship between structure/functionality of silica nanomaterials and their improvement on immobilized lipase activity and stability. Moreover, the application of silica nanomaterials immobilized with lipase in animal feed has not been reported. In this project, we aim to develop an effective and stable enzyme additive in animal feed by immobilizing lipase on novel silica nanomaterials with optimized functionality and structure. Our study will pave the way towards the development of next-generation, highly effective enzyme additives in animal feed for improved animal health and growth.

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