ε-polylysine (ε-PL) is a natural isomorphic polymer of lysine, composed of ε-amidogen and α-carboxyl of another lysine connected by peptide bond. Among all existing natural preservatives, ε-PL enjoys excellent antiseptic property and great commercial potential, known for a wide antibacterial spectrum, high safety performance, admirable thermostability and convenient use. By far, ε-PL has been applied to rice, box lunch, cake, household cooking, soy sauce, spice and vegetable washing liquid, etc. ε-PL obtained FDA license in 2003 and is expected of further development in the coming years. In addition, ε-PL is known for good water solubility, biodegradability, agreeable flavor and no harm to human body and the environment. ε-PL and its derivatives allow a wide range of applications including food preservative agent, emulsifier, dietary agent, biodegradable fiber, high-perfomance hydrogel, drug carrier, anticarcinogen and biochip coating.
Application in Food Industry
Currently, ε-PL is primarily applied in the food industry, especially in food preservation, emulsifier and nutrient due to the excellent performance.
In light of the antimicrobial property and high safety, ε-PL has been widely applied to all aspects of the food industry. In Japan, ε-PL is adopted for preservation of fast food, dairy product, pastry, sauce, beverage, wine, meat, seafood, sausage and poultry. For box lunch and non-staple food, ε-PL inhibits the proliferation of yeast, prevents stink and prolongs product shelf life.
Working together with glucose, ε-PL has been applied to dual-function emulsion and antibacterial agent.
ε-PL reduces fat absorption by inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity to prevent obesity.
Application in Biomedicine
In biomedicine, ε-PL is mainly used in drug carrier, endotoxin removal agent and biosensor.
It can work together with double-stranded RNA synthesized by polysome inosinic acid and polysome cytidylic acid to serve as endogenous interferon inducer.
It can work with anti-folic acid methotrexate or anticancer agents to treat aleukemic leukemia, sarcoma, new tumors and resist tinea alba germ.
Virus-free gene carrier.
Lipopolysaccharide endotoxin removal agent.
It inhibits and reduces cholesterol in serum and liver.
It immobilizes enzyme used for biosensors.
