Enzymes

Introduction:

Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts (biocatalysts). Catalysts accelerate chemical
reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme
converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. Metabolic pathways depend
upon enzymes to catalyze individual steps. The study of enzymes is called enzymology and the
field of pseudoenzyme analysis recognizes that during evolution, some enzymes have lost the
ability to carry out biological catalysis, which is often reflected in their amino acid sequences
and unusual 'pseudocatalytic' properties. Enzymes are known to catalyze more than 5,000
biochemical reaction types.

Like all catalysts, enzymes increase the reaction rate by lowering its activation energy. Some
enzymes can make their conversion of substrate to product occur many millions of times faster.

Its catalytic efficiency is higher than inorganic catalysts. Except the general characteristics of the
chemical catalyst, enzyme has the following advantages: high catalytic efficiency; high
specificity; mild work condition.

Enzymes are generally name according to the reaction they catalyze or by suffixing “ase” after
the name of substrate such as lipase, amylase, pectinase etc.

Enzyme as Food additives:

Enzyme preparations are a type of additive that may or may not end up in the final food product.
Enzymes are naturally-occurring proteins that boost biochemical reactions by breaking down
larger molecules into their smaller building blocks. Enzymes initiate and accelerate biochemical
reactions, are compounds and leaving unchanged from reaction.

They can be obtained by extraction from plants or animal products or from micro-organisms
such as bacteria and are used as alternatives to chemical-based technology. In the past, the
enzyme used in food processing was mostly derived from animal offal and plant extracts. Most
of the enzymes used are now from microbial fermentation.

In general, the purity of the enzyme used in food processing does not need to be particularly
high, mostly partially purified enzyme. Unless in the special applications, such as proteolytic
enzymes used in low-calorie beer, the higher the purity, the better the effect. Most enzymes
applied in the food processing are glucoamylase and then followed by protease, lipase, esterase,
oxidoreductase and isomerase.

They are mainly used in baking (to improve the dough), for manufacturing fruit juices (to
increase yields), in wine making and brewing (to improve fermentation), as well as in cheese
manufacturing (to improve curd formation).

1
Advantages of using Enzyme as Food additives in food:

1) Enzymes are preferred for being natural source. In last products, enzyme can not changes
to other products and they are found same situation.
2) Enzyme show more specific properties. Their activities can standardized easily. Also they
can not show adverse reaction.

Types of Enzymes used in food industry:

Based on their applications, enzymes can be categorized as-

Some of the important microbial enzymes are lipases, amylases, proteases, rennet, pectinases,
invertases, cellulases, and glucose oxidase etc. used in the food processing industry are described
below-
Amylase:

An amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch into sugars. Amylase is present
in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of
digestion. Foods that contain large amounts of starch but little sugar, such as rice and potatoes,
may acquire a slightly sweet taste as they are chewed because amylase degrades some of their
starch into sugar.

The pancreas and salivary gland make amylase (alpha amylase) to hydrolyse dietary starch into
disaccharides and trisaccharides which are converted by other enzymes to glucose to supply the
body with energy. Plants and some bacteria also produce amylase. All amylases are glycoside
hydrolases and act on α-1,4-glycosidic bonds.

2
 Figure: Structure of alpha-amylase

Figure: Structure of Beta-amylase

Lipase:

A lipase is any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fats (lipids). Lipases are a subclass of the
esterases. Lipases perform essential roles in digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids
(e.g. triglycerides, fats, oils) in most, if not all, living organisms.

Figure: Structure of Lipase

3
Lipases or triacylglycerol acylhydrolases hydrolyse triacylglycerols (TAG) producing
monoacylglycerols (MAG), diacylglycerols (DAG), glycerol and free fatty acids. These enzymes
are widely found in nature. Besides TAG lipases there are phospholipases A1, A2, C, D, and
galactolipases. The use of lipases in the baking segment is much more recent in comparison to α-
amylases and proteases.

The first generation of commercial lipase preparations was introduced to the market in the years
1990 and recently a third generation became available. The latter are protein engineered
enzymes, claimed to give a better effect in high-speed mixing and no time dough processes.
Moreover, third generation lipases have a lower affinity for short-chain fatty acids, which
reduces the risk for off-flavour formation on account of prolonged storage of the baked goods
and the use of butter or milk fat in baked products. Lipases (TAG lipases) of the first generation
are 1,3-specific, removing preferentially fatty acids from positions 1 and 3 in TAG. These
enzymes can improve dough rheology, increase dough strength and stability, thus improving
dough machinability. In addition, lipases lead to an increase in volume which results in an
improved, more uniform crumb structure; hence a softer crumb is obtained.

Protease:

A protease (also called a peptidase or proteinase) is an enzyme that catalyzes (increases reaction
rate or "speeds up") proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single
amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. They do this by cleaving the
peptide bonds within proteins by hydrolysis, a reaction where water breaks bonds. Proteases are
involved in many biological functions, including digestion of ingested proteins, protein
catabolism (breakdown of old proteins), and cell signaling.

Proteases are used on a large commercial scale in the production of bread, baked goods, crackers,
and waffles. These enzymes can be added to reduce mixing time, to decrease dough consistency,
to assure dough uniformity, to regulate gluten strength in bread, to control bread texture and to
improve flavor.

Figure: Structure of Protease

4
Xylanases:

Xylanases were introduced to the baking segment in the years 1970 and are most often used
combined with amylases, lipases, and many oxidoreductases to attain specific effects on the
rheological properties of dough and organoleptic properties of bread. These enzymes have also
been used to improve the quality of biscuits, cakes and other baked products.

Pectinases:

Pectinases are a group of enzymes that breaks down pectin, a polysaccharide found in plant cell
walls, through hydrolysis, transelimination and deesterification reactions. Commonly referred to
as pectic enzymes, they include pectolyase, pectozyme, and polygalacturonase, one of the most
studied and widely used commercial pectinases. It is useful because pectin is the jelly-like matrix
which helps cement plant cells together and in which other cell wall components, such as
cellulose fibrils, are embedded.

Therefore, pectinase enzymes are commonly used in processes involving the degradation of plant
materials, such as speeding up the extraction of fruit juice from fruit, including apples and
sapota.

Figure: Structure of Pectinase

Catalase: Catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms exposed to oxygen
(such as bacteria, plants, and animals) which catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide
to water and oxygen.

Figure: Structure of Catalase

5
Uses of Enzymes in Food industry:

Some of the important microbial enzymes used in the food processing industry are lipases,
amylases, proteases, rennet, pectinases, invertases, cellulases, and glucose oxidase etc.

Amylase uses:

1) In high recycled syrup and production of grape sugar

Pectinase uses:

1) Production and clarifying of juice and wine

Glucose oxidase- catalyzes uses:

1) Removing glucose from production of eggs additive

Protease uses:

1) Softing and ripen of fresh meat

Catalase uses:

Removing residual (Hydrogen peroxide) from food product.

6
Figure: Uses of different enzymes

7
Application of enzymes in food processing:

Table no.1: Applications of different enzymes in food processing

8
 Table no.2: Application of different enzymes in food processing

Table no.3: Sources and uses of different enzymes used in food processing

9
Table no.4: Application of different enzymes in food processing

10
Side effects of Enzymes used as food additives:
Historically enzymes are considered to be non-toxic and not of safety concern for consumers
since they are naturally present in ingredients used to make food or as additives. However, food
enzymes produced industrially by extraction from plant and animal tissues, or by fermentation of
microorganisms, are assessed for safety.

But some side effects can be seen by using of digestive enzymes include:

 nausea
 diarrhea
 abdominal cramping
 headache
 neck pain
 nasal congestion
 swelling of the legs and feet
 rash
 dizziness
 low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
 high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
 diabetes mellitus exacerbation
 gas (flatulence)
 indigestion
 abnormal feces
 fluid in the gallbladder
 renal cyst
 viral infection
 asthma
 inflammation of the stomach (gastritis)
 muscle spasm

Conclusion:
Nowadays, enzymes are known to aid food processing in a wide variety of applications
worldwide, for example manufacturing of cheese, vinegar and wine; leavening of bread; brewing
of beer and so on. In these processes enzymes help to save energy and resources, as well as
improve the overall efficiency. In many instances, the use of enzymes has been proved to
decrease the volumes and toxicity of byproducts and effluents. Creative Enzymes provides a
wide range of products including high purity enzymes and custom blends, which can be readily
used in food and beverage processes. Uses and applications of enzymes in food industry as food
additives are increasing day by day widely and increasing future prospects.

11