Dissolution Study of Purified Bromelain from Pineapple Cores (Ananas comosus [L.] Merr) Encapsulated in Alginate-Chitosan Microcapsule

Along with the production of large number of pineapple products, the amount of pineapple waste produced is also higher, including pineapple cores with large amount of proteolytic enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain has many benefits, particularly because of its efficacy in various treatments of diseases, such as platelet anti-aggregation, reducing inflammation associated with infections, sinusitis, osteoarthritis and cancer. However, for oral use, bromelain will be degraded by the presence of proteases and the atmosphere of acidic pH in the stomach, so that bromelain will lose its activity. In this study, the isolated and purified bromelain from pineapple cores was subsequently encapsulated in alginate-chitosan microcapsules as drug delivery medium so that bromelain could reach the intestine without degradation in the stomach. The purification using 20%-50% ammonium sulfate obtained bromelain with specific activity of 5.44 U/mg and purity of 2.85 times. The purified enzyme was subsequently dialyzed and yielded of 8.27 U/mg with the purity level of 4.32 times. The dissolution test of bromelain encapsulated in alginate microcapsules resulted in efficiency of 76.99% which dissolute at pH 1.2 as much as 13.53% and at pH 7.4 of 80.09%, while in chitosan-coated alginate microcapsules, efficiency was obtained for 86.40% with dissolution result at pH 1.2 and 7.4 were 8.59% and 77.35% respectively.